A-mag – Amsterdam Magazine: Vol 4, No. 3 by amsterdam&partners

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on ures ens feat Gard d & s le t an s L a C ew the N sterdam and m A f no regio

SIGHTS & SOUNDS COMPLETE LISTINGS DANCING & DINING ART & FASHION MAY & JUNE 2016

HIDDEN CITY AMSTERDAM’S SECRET SPOTS & TUCKED AWAY TREASURES

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AMSTERDAM MAGAZINE

VOL 4 N0 3 MAY & JUNE 2016

HIDDEN AMSTERDAM

CONTENTS P.06 WHAT’S NEW? City confidential: exciting new Amsterdam initiatives, events and venues – including your Top 5 must-do things this issue.

P.10 UP CLOSE The city keeps a lot of secrets, from hidden art and bizarre museums to exclusive bars and parties. A-Mag reveals how to roam the streets of Amsterdam like an insider.

P.19 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Helmut Newton’s controversial photos are investing FOAM, the Holland Festival returns for three weeks of world-acclaimed performances, the Van Gogh Museum turns the spotlight on prostitution in 19th-century art, and much much more.

P.35 EAT, DRINK & CHIC Neighbourhood Watch explores local-favourite and rising star Oud West, plus the hottest new shops & food trends, and our selection of the best restaurants and cafés.

P.68 CLOSING Get out of town with our excursion tips; Then & Now in Amsterdam; top tips from visitors on the way out.

P.53 THE A-LIST Agendas at the ready: from clubbing to gallery hopping, The A-List is your one-stop, at-a-glance guide to the city’s very best music, theatre (language no problem!), sporting, family and gay & lesbian events and venues.

About a year ago, we learned of a new initiative called the Hidden Amsterdam Festival. Architect Ivar van der Zwan had mapped out the alleyways, courtyards, vaults and other places in the city that are in the public domain but that no one ever sees, because they’ve never been open to the public. His plan was to open them up for three days to give everyone a chance to discover this hidden city. Unfortunately he did not get the funds to realise his plan – this year at least. But once the idea of opening up the hidden city was in our heads, it refused to leave. And when we got together to plan this issue of A-mag, the ideas kept on coming. One of my favourites is the hidden church Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic), a gem of a church tucked away in the attic of a 17th-century canal house. This hidden treasure you’ll find in most guidebooks. But, the onion-shaped maze of canals and alleys that it is, Amsterdam is full of surprises that you would never find without directions. Take that sculpture of a little man sawing off the branch he’s standing on in a tree near Leidseplein: an anonymous artist installed it, the kind of selfless act of urban enhancement that made Banksy famous. But the best-kept secret of Amsterdam is probably that there is so much more to see than the city centre. Where most tourist guides stop is where the real world begins for Amsterdammers. The residential areas just beyond the Canal Belt are where the exciting new developments are taking place. Up-and-coming neighbourhoods like Westerpark with its Westergasfabriek, the Kinkerbuurt in Oud-West and the former NDSM shipyard in Noord are each home to such an interesting and untouristy mix of culture and entertainment that you can spend days (or a lifetime, such as I did in De Pijp) in them. Grab a copy of our Amsterdam Neighbourhoods guide in the I amsterdam Store at the north entrance of Central Station – the best place to start your visit to Amsterdam, whatever you plan to do. Bart van Oosterhout editor-in-chief A-mag a-mag@iamsterdam.com

STAY IN TOUCH: www.iamsterdam.com www.facebook.com/iamsterdam www.twitter.com/iamsterdam www.youtube.com/videoiamsterdam

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may & jun 2016

OPENING

What’s new?

‘ANYONE [...] WILL BE AMAZED THAT A CITY WITH SUCH SMALL BEGINNINGS [...] HAS BECOME ENRICHED TO SUCH A DEGREE OF GREATNESS, BEAUTY, AND MAGNIFICENCE.’

(in town)

All the latest cultural news plus the fresh new initiatives, events and venues making Amsterdam the place to be.

COSIMO III DE MEDICI WAS QUITE EFFUSIVE ON TRIPADVISOR.

text Mark Smith

FORK WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

ON THE THRONE

giveawa y

With its Royal Palace, 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk and stately white National Monument to those who lost their lives in World War II, Dam Square is a remarkable place for many reasons. Now, it’s the world’s first public space to be equipped with a retractable, lockable toilet for women. The facility, which was designed from vandal-proof steel by the Apeldoorn-based firm Urilift, lurks underground during the day before popping up at night to provide relief for revellers who’ve been caught short. The Urilift – which is connected to the mains water supply and also features two conventional urinal compartments for men – is meant for peeing only, but director Marco Schimmel assured the public broadcaster NOS that ‘If something else is deposited the system can handle it’. Good to know.

Music may be the food of love, but without an actual meal to tide you on, one’s rumbling tum risks drowning out the orchestra. That’s defi nitely not a problem for those partaking of the new pre-theatre Cultural Menu at the Conservatorium Hotel Brasserie. Featuring a glass of Cava on arrival, this three-course extravaganza costs just €42 and features gourmet dishes with a theatrical fl ourish. www.conservatoriumhotel.com

The firs t fi to send ve readers an e-m marke ail to ting@ia msterd am.com will rec eive a free co py of the bo ok.

FACTS OF LIFE

Ever wondered exactly how many elms line Amsterdam’s streets or how many trams cross Leidseplein daily? The answers (75,000 and 1,259 respectively) are dispensed, along with a thousand other factoids, in The Atlas of Amsterdam, a new publication consisting of gorgeous photographs and infographics. Particularly fascinating is a spread devoted to the make-up of domestic waste in each of Amsterdam’s districts. A dirty job, but someone had to do it. You can find the book (and many more) in the I amsterdam Store in Central Station. www.bosatlas.nl

‘AMSTERDAM IS ONE OF THE MOST LIBERATED CITIES THERE IS.’

‘WAS GREAT FUN AT DE BALIE IN AMSTERDAM. THE DUTCH ARE SO TOGETHER.’

CYNTHIA NIXON SHOULD KNOW: SHE STARRED IN SEX AND THE CITY.

JOURNALIST JON RONSON WON’T BE PUBLICLY SHAMING OUR FAIR CITY ANY TIME SOON.

GAME ON

BACK IN VOGUE Exactly 25 years after Madonna scandalised the world with Truth Or Dare, the fly-on-the wall documentary tracking her epoch-making Blond Ambition tour, a pair of Amsterdam filmmakers have gone in search of the fast-vogueing dancers whose romances and rivalries provided so much of the original film’s backstage drama. For Strike A Pose, Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan have managed to reunite the core members of Madonna’s original muscular harem, with the exception of Gabriel Trupin, who died of Aids in 1995. Gould and Zwaan both remember watching Truth Or Dare in their youth and being struck by the forthright confidence of these (predominantly) gay men at a time when out-andproud role models were rare. What’s become of them, and does Madge send them a Christmas card? This surprisingly poignant film gets its Dutch release in May. www.strikeaposefilm.com

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has announced that it will rename Amsterdam ArenA after late soccer star Johan Cruijff, who died of cancer in March. Speaking after the news of Cruijff’s passing, KNVB president Michael van Praag said: ‘It’s the best tribute we can pay.’ Cruijff – the most famous exponent of the revolutionary Total Football style of play – was born just a stone’s throw from the previous AFC Ajax stadium.

IT TAKES A MUSSEL… It is estimated that one in three Amsterdammers will take a dip in the city’s lakes and waterways this summer. Unfortunately, the 35 metre-deep Sloterplas in the NieuwWest district has fallen out of favour with bathers in recent decades on account of poor water quality and an abundance of blue-green algae. Those days would appear to be numbered, however. In March, the water board granted permission for a new filtration system that uses the latest technology, namely freshwater mussels. Despite being the size of a thumbnail, each quagga mussel can filter a litre of water over the course of a day. Spotted in the Netherlands in 2004, the mussel leaves behind crystal waters wherever it roams. www.vriendenvandesloterplas.nl

SEE YOU LATER, SIRI Locally made smartphone apps are unlocking Amsterdam’s hidden treasures in very different ways. Take iPhone app Many Guides, which was devised by Amsterdammer Maarten van den Biggelaar to connect curious visitors with in-the-know locals. Users simply type a question – for example ‘Where should I go for sushi tonight?’ – and wait for a response. If the questioner is happy with the advice, he or she can send a gratuity, à la Uber. For the more visually orientated, there’s Sightseen Amsterdam, a scrolling bank of gorgeous images split by categories from cycle rides to Japanese ramen. Each venue features handy information such as opening hours and location. Co-founder Tobin Nageotte says, ‘Most people use their phones to search for things, but nobody wants to scroll through a maze of reviews and blogposts. Sightseen does the curation for you in pictures rather than words.’ Both are available from the App Store for free.

may & jun 2016

OPENING WHAT’S NEW?

‘I USED TO TEACH IMPROV COURSES IN AMSTERDAM WHERE WE WOULD DO TEAM-BUILDING EXERCISES, AND THEY CAN GO SOUTH VERY QUICKLY.’

‘SPRING LOOKS GOOD ON YOU, AMSTERDAM’



WE COULDN’T AGREE MORE, @AMSTERDAMGURU!



ACTOR IKE BARINHOLTZ DISCOVERS THE LIMITS OF THE POLDER MODEL.

 1

TOP 5 to do

She was the femme fatale whose fascinating story was recently staged at the Dutch National Ballet. Now, items belonging to the Dutch exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari have gone under the hammer at an Amsterdam auction house. The lots – including a Chinese marble statue, silver cutlery and a pair of opera glasses – brought a total of €17,000, ten times their reserve. ‘We valued them as if they were regular items because we had no idea what extra value the name Mata Hari would give them,’ an auction room spokesman told De Telegraaf. Mata Hari was born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle to a wellto-do Frisian family in 1876. Following an unhappy marriage, she moved to Paris where, as the enigmatic Mata Hari, she became one of the most famous performers of her day. She was tried as a spy and executed by firing squad aged 41.

WHOLE LOT OF HISTORY

If you only do one thing in Amsterdam, make it one of our top picks of must-do events, exhibitions, museums, music and more this issue.

1 HOLLAND FESTIVAL The best of international stage performances spend three weeks delighting theatre, dance and even film fans in most Amsterdam venues. 4-26 June Various locations www.hollandfestival.nl

2 HELMUT NEWTON FOAM throws a monumental retrospective on the infamous photographer, who was adored as much as re-

viled for his black-and-white portraits of women that sometimes got too close to kinky for comfort. From 17 June FOAM www.foam.org



3 OPENLUCHTTHEATER The summer season of free performances which grace the stage of the Vondelpark Theatre starts now. From 5 June VondelparkTheatre www.vondelparkconcerts.nl



4 TASTE OF AMSTERDAM Many Amsterdam restaurants participate in this convivial outdoor food fair where mini versions of their

chef’s most renowned dishes are handed out on paper plates. 2-5 June Amstelpark www.tasteofamsterdam.com



5 TRANSATLANTIC The Dutch National Ballet presents energetic modern choreographies by four rising stars hailing from both sides of the Atlantic. 11-26 June Dutch National Ballet www.operaballet.nl



‘DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET ON THE FRONT OF A BICYCLE THEN RIDE ALONG A COBBLED STREET IN AMSTERDAM AND FALL INTO A CANAL.’ WISE WORDS FROM BRITISH WRITER PAUL BASSETT DAVIES.

JUSTIN TIME When it comes to the allimportant celebrity milestone that is getting oneself immortalised in wax, it would appear to be a case of third time lucky for pop idol Justin Bieber. After some frankly scary waxwork ‘interpretations’ of The Bieb in cities including Las Vegas and Madrid, Madame Tussauds Amsterdam has it aced with a shirtless version that’s been declared just ‘too realistic’ by fans.

SPIN CITY So-called because of its oblique stance towards the city, the Overhoeks tower that dominates the skyline of Amsterdam-Noord, just across the water from Central Station, was first opened in 1971 as the head office for Royal Dutch Shell. This spring sees the wonky building’s renaissance under the new name A’DAM, as hip new tenants flood into the renovated building – including the Sir Adam hotel and a host of music labels including MassiveMusic. As you might expect from a building with such a pedigree, the 19th floor restaurant will spin right round – like a record.

www.madametussauds.com

www.adamtoren.nl

BAT FOR THE OTHER SIDE Want to play better cricket this summer? Research by Amsterdam academics suggests that switching your batting hand to the opposite of what feels natural could up your game considerably. The study from the Vrije Universiteit suggests that the advantage of ‘cross dominance’ seems to result from placing one’s dominant hand at the top of the bat, as opposed to the bottom.

PART I UP CLOSE

hidden city

THE HIDDEN CITY

From private gardens and anonymous art to downright bizarre museums and parties , Amsterdam enjoys keeping a secret or two. We lift the veil on these guarded treasures. UNUSUAL MUSEUMS While Amsterdam is world renowned for its grand art institutions, there are plenty of smaller, off-the-beaten track museums to satisfy your almost every whim. The Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia is one. Another, the Museum of Bags and Purses, is the largest of its kind in the world, featuring more than 5,000 bags and purses from 1600 AD to the present, including Madonna’s famous Versace number. Illuseum, the quirky grandkid of the fascinating ‘cabinets of curiosities‘ from times past, displays exotic objects that titillate the imagination. The Cat Cabinet’s collection, meanwhile, highlights the role of cats in art and culture in a canal house that had a cameo in the film Ocean’s Twelve. The Biblical Museum (Bijbels Museum) reopened in March and has been rechristened as two museums in one: the Cromhout House, a 17th-century canal house museum, that inhabits the bottom floors, and the Biblical Museum on the top two. Even big museums have ‘hidden’ events. Although most visitors to Amsterdam are familiar with the Van Gogh Museum, not everyone knows that there’s a party held there every Friday night featuring DJs and cocktails. Leave the still life behind. www.greenboxmuseum.com Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 12 www.tassenmuseum.nl/en Herengracht 573 www.illuseum.com Witte de Withstraat 120 www.kattenkabinet.nl/en Herengracht 497 www.bijbelsmuseum.nl Herengracht 366 www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en Museumplein 6

In a city where people notoriously leave their curtains open so outsiders can get a glimpse of life inside, you think there’d be little left to the imagination. But don’t let Amsterdam’s open-shutter policy fool you. text Lauren Comiteau

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

alking west from the Leidseplein over the bridge and towards the Overtoom, there’s a large tree on the right-hand side that looks much like the others surrounding it. But if you look closely, there’s something attached to one of its branches that nature didn’t put there: a small bronze statue of a man sawing the limb that’s supporting him. While the anonymous tree cutter is legendary to the city’s residents, this hidden sculpture provides a visual treat to the unsuspecting – just one of Amsterdam’s many hidden surprises. ‘It’s a bit like Banksy,’ says Jeroen Boomgart, professor of art and public space at Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academie, of the anonymous sculptor who placed the bronze in the tree in 1989. ‘Insiders know who it is, but no one has taken credit.’ The Dutch have a history of enhancing public spaces with art, hidden or otherwise, that dates back to the beginning of the 20th Century. But not all of it is as visible as the Picasso in the Vondelpark. From the 1920s through the 1940s, hidden sculptures were very much a part of the Amsterdam landscape. ‘Amsterdam has a tradition of integrated sculpture, especial-

ly the hidden sculptures on bridges,’ says Boomgart. ‘All of those in the Rivierenbuurt neighbourhood are decorated in the Amsterdamse School style.’ But why? OPEN SOCIETY, HIDDEN ART ‘When I lecture, I say if you get out of a train and the ruler of the country is on a pedestal, you’re in the wrong country; it’s a dictatorship,’ says Boomgart. ‘If you get out and there’s a sculpture that you don’t understand and it makes you wonder, you’re in the right place: an open society.’ And perhaps ironically, it’s the Netherlands’ famed openness that allows for the secret to flourish alongside it. ‘A tolerant society is important for the city. It allows for hidden things in an open atmosphere,’ says Judikje Kiers, the new director of the Amsterdam Museum. ‘You can find it in the city still, from the prostitutes to the [cannabis] coffeeshops.’ Kiers knows all about hidden Amsterdam. She’s the former director of Our Lord in the Attic, or Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, the city’s most famous hidden church. Concealed in a typical 17th-century canal house, Our Lord in the Attic continues to awe visitors with its unexpectedly large space that can fit 200 worshippers. ‘It’s a

PART I UP CLOSE

hidden city

THE NIGHT MAYOR‘S INSIDER TIPS As Amsterdam’s officially chosen Night Mayor – a title that was first used in Rotterdam but is now in use in several European cities including Paris and London – Mirik Milan knows about many secrets of the night in his city. ‘Amsterdam has many illegal events that you won’t find announced on Facebook. Invites are passed on by mobile messaging in a circle of like-minded people. As long as they don’t get crazily out of control, the police usually lets them pass.’ But there’s also a semi-public kind of night party that Milan thinks everyone should know about, ‘like the parties in the Eddie the Eagle Museum and the happenings in The Lighthouse in Noord or Club Radion in the old Acta building in Nieuw West.’ Milan also mentions a couple of secretive restaurants that are only for the initiated (as you can be if you check out the Facebook posts): De Trekvogel for instance is a travelling restaurant that lands on different locations for just one night, serving exclusive dishes. Diner Obscure is another special eating experience, combining crazy acts with dinner parties. Once a month there’s Smaakt als Muziek (Tastes like music) where composers concoct a dinner that matches their music; and Vrete op Aarde brings together complete strangers for a surprise menu under the motto ‘eating unites’.

ANONYMOUS ART The same nameless sculptor who placed the tree cutter in the Leidsebosje in 1989 placed the city’s first anonymous sculpture near the Marnixbad seven years earlier. Nicknamed ‘Man attempting to catch tram 10’ by locals, it features a man in motion carrying a violin case and tipping his hat over his headless shoulders. After disappearing for a number of years, it resurfaced in its current blue form. Other sculptures dotting the city’s landscape are thought to be the work of the same secret sculptor: the bronze breast in the cobblestones of the Red Light District; possibly ‘The Fiddler’ that breaks through the tiles at the Stopera concert hall; ‘Drie heertjes in gesprek’, or ‘Three men in conversation’, at the Ten Katemarkt in the Oud-West; and the ‘Harmonica man’ at Anjeliersstraat 175 in the Jordaan. Although the maker of the statues wants to remain anonymous, speculation as to who the amateur sculptor is ranges from my former therapist (seriously) to the former queen herself.

HIDDEN WEALTH? It’s been said that the Calvinist Dutch hid their wealth as well, that behind the austere façades and plain front rooms of the centre’s grand canal houses lie a hidden wealth unbecoming to flaunt. Kiers dismisses the notion as ‘one of the stories of the 17th Century.’ She cites the newly reopened Biblical Museum, or Bijbels Museum, housed in the 17th-century Cromhout House, where wealth was ‘showed in all ways,’ from the art to the furniture to the rich stone building material. There are even hidden gardens, which visitors will get to explore in June. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Open Garden Days, when private citizens as well as museums, bankers and lawyers throw open their gates to the public. What started out as kitchen gardens or bleaching fields in the early 17th Century were turned into

exquisite gardens during the Golden Age, when increasingly wealthy owners imported exotic plants and created the spaces you see today. ‘If you walk along the canals, the façades seem very strict and austere, and Amsterdam appears very grey,’ says Diederik von Bönninghausen, operations manager at the Museum Van Loon. ‘But if you look at aerial photographs of Amsterdam, it’s actually green and not stone.’ NOT JUST HIGHBROW There’s a whole host of secret gems in Amsterdam, from its lesser-known museums to its hidden bars. Above the bakery Traiterie Chef! in the Jordaan is the tiny Teapot Museum, where you can enjoy high tea in a Victorian setting. And behind the hip hamburger bar The Butcher in De Pijp lies a speakeasy that requires a secret passcode to enter. ‘It’s grand,’ says patron Annelies van Heften of its hidden charms. ‘It gives you a feeling of exclusivity.’ More traditional spaces have also been converted into hidden paradises: the Vondelbunker, a former fallout shelter under a bridge in the Vondelpark, is now home to the Schijnheilig creative collective and its underground – literally – exhibits, concerts, plays and other arty happenings. And then there’s the unexpected: the disco taxi takes riders to their destinations in strobe-lit, karaoke style, while off the Vondelpark behind a typical façade lies an 18th-century equestrian arena fit for the royals who rode there. If you keep your eyes open, there’s no end to what you’ll discover on the city’s streets. That includes HPS, the cocktail bar on the quaint Rapenburg on the fringes of the old Jewish area that serves as the hidden darling of the cocktail scene. Its full name might just as well be used as the moniker for Amsterdam’s many tucked-away riches: Hiding in Plain Sight.

HIDDEN ART There are several works of art in Amsterdam that, although out in the public and clearly attributed, are still easy to miss if you don’t know what to look for. Among the most renown is Picasso’s ‘Figure découpée l’Oiseau‘, or ‘The Bird’, donated to the city by the artist himself after it was commissioned for the Vondelpark’s 100th anniversary celebration in 1965. Since then, the concrete sculpture has been in the same spot at the park’s southern end. Also take time to notice the integrated art on the bridges built in the Amsterdam School style in the Rivierenbuurt and other parts of town, mostly a result of the city’s tradition of Social Democratic councils in the first half of the 20th Century. Especially striking is the 1941 train sculpture on the corner of Weesperstraat and Sarphatistraat. The integrated trend continued in the 1980s and ‘90s: Narcisse Tordoir’s 1993 fence encloses a hof (courtyard) on the eastern KNSM island. Then head far west to the Siegerpark in Slotervaart for a collection of some 20 modernist sculptures that once graced the grounds of the former Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. ‘It’s a graveyard of sculptures,’ says art historian Jeroen Boomgart of the pieces that had to be moved from Amsterdam’s centre due to lack of space. Look out for the 1929 ‘Twee Kinderen’ (Two Children) by the man once known as ‘the city sculptor of Amsterdam’, Hildo Krop, whose work also graces many Amsterdam School bridges.

hidden gem, one of the most perfect examples of the hidden city,’ says Kiers. ‘It’s a place for contemplation in a busy, wild part of Amsterdam.’ In the 17th and 18th Centuries, Amsterdammers were free to practice their own religions in private, although not in the Protestant country’s public spaces. Hence the hidden churches, some 40 of them built in the 17th-century, tax-paying institutions known to the government and tolerated – just like today’s coffeeshops. ‘The atmosphere in Amsterdam is built on individualism, but it’s always important to tolerate each other’s ideas,’ says Kiers, making reference to the ideas of historian Russell Shorto. ‘You get a wealthier nation and a healthy society.’ In the 19th Century, most of the hidden churches were converted to official places of worship, but a few still remain, including one in the Begijnhof, itself a hidden medieval courtyard off the middle of Amsterdam’s busiest shopping street. A calm oasis in the city centre, this former residence of the sisterhood of the Catholic Beguines also features one of Amsterdam’s last remaining wooden houses.

hidden city

PART I UP CLOSE

If there’s a sculpture that you don’t understand or that makes you wonder, you’re in an open society’

SECRET BARS There are a couple speakeasy-type bars in the city – most notably Door 74 and The Butcher. Thriving on exclusivity, Door 74 doesn’t even have a sign to let you know you’ve arrived. In fact, you have to call for the location and a reservation. But once inside its dimly lit, sophisticated 1930s interior, you’ll be treated to some of the best cocktails in the city. The folks at The Butcher, meanwhile, who are also behind the popular restaurant and cocktail bar MOMO, follow the speakeasy style of New Amsterdam with dark walls, Chesterfieldbacked banquets and a circular black metal bar as the centrepiece of the room. Located behind the burger joint of the same name, this place is a bit tricky to get into. Best bets? Either know someone in the know (i.e., a hospitality business) or hang out at 4-5 star hotels where the concierges will take care of business for you. Barring that, make a dinner reservation and stay for the after-party, with DJ, cocktails and a menu that moves well beyond burgers. ‘We like the difficulty to get in,’ one bartender told me. ‘Too many of one thing isn’t special.’ Like a hamburger bar in Amsterdam, perhaps? www.door-74.com Call 06 3404 5122 www.the-butcher.com Albert Cuypstraat 129

DISCO TAXI There are many ways to get around the city: tram, bike, beerbike, bus, scooter and taxi, to name a few. But for that once-in-a-lifetime experience call Maroni Sonelli, owner of the city’s disco taxi. Strobe lights, a Bee Gees-singing driver, karaoke and enough room for a small posse (eight people fit in Sonelli’s decked-out van) will set the mood long before you reach your final entertainment destination. The experience also gets raves from people who aren’t quite done with their revelry and want to continue the festivities during the taxi ride home. That’s one Love Hangover that may even be worth it. Reserve at: 06 5469 8187 www.discotaxi@europe.com

VONDELBUNKER The Schijnheilig creative collective gives new meaning to Amsterdam’s underground scene, holding its arty events in a post-World War II bunker in the Vondelpark. Built as a fallout shelter in 1947, the bunker lies beneath the bridge supporting tram line 3. Its history is illustrious: the bunker became the city’s first youth centre in the more laidback 1960s, and Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa are said to have played there. Today, Schijnheilig, a self-described ‘nomadic collective dedicated to claiming neglected spaces and transforming them into creative, freely accessible and non-commercial places’, hosts everything from free concerts to exhibitions, plays, films, poetry and talks. Look for its weekly Thursday night meetings, featuring drinks, activism and table tennis, and other events on their website. Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat www.vondelbunker.nl

HANNEKES BOOM If you exit left out of Central Station, head straight past the library and veer left into no man’s land, you’ll hit a small walking bridge (not to be confused with the larger bridge before it) that will take you right to the terrace of Hannekes Boom, a waterfront paradise with views of the NEMO and the Marinepark. On the city’s maps since 1662, this bar and café’s location once served as the entrance into the city, with authorities checking everything coming and going. At water level, its terrace is perfect for docking boats to unload thirsty passengers. With brightly coloured picnic tables outside and a raging fire inside for colder days, Hannekes Boom’s glorified wood shack-feel makes it a popular destination for both the hip and the alternative sets. If you have energy to burn, head to the Klimmuur, or climbing wall, next door to scale to new, perhaps healthier, heights. Dijksgracht 4 www.hannekesboom.nl

hidden city

PART I UP CLOSE

HIDDEN CHURCHES

While most visitors head to the Anne Frank House for the famous hidden annex where the young diarist and her family took cover until they were exposed and deported to death camps at the end of World War II, having to hide for religious reasons was not a new concept to Amsterdam. Less extreme for sure, Catholics were still unable to openly practice their religion in the 17th and 18th Centuries, which led to some 40 hidden churches cropping up in the city. (Synagogues, ironically, were allowed, although Jews weren’t allowed to work in government positions.) Ons’ Lieve Heer Op Solder, or Our Lord in the Attic, is the most well known and perhaps grandest of the city’s hidden churches. But others remain, including HH. Petrus and Paulus Church, better known as Papegaai (the ‘Parrot‘) at Kalverstraat 58. Smack in the middle of Amsterdam’s busiest shopping street, this hidden church was named after an animal as it was forbidden to name Catholic places of worship after saints. Once through the narrow entrance, be awed by the wide and wonderful church inside. www.opsolder.nl Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38 www.nicolaas-parochie.nl

What started as an initiative by private owners who wanted to share their beloved Grachtengordel gardens with the masses is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. Still featuring mostly private gardens along with some museums and offices, too, this event in the third weekend of June sees 30 locations opening their flowering and ornamental green spaces to strollers and ogglers alike. The theme this year is 300 years of art, which includes work inspired by classical antiquity, commerce and the stately gardens themselves. A place for those made wealthy during the 17th-century’s Golden Age to spend their money, the gardens today in many cases look remarkably similar to what they looked like centuries ago. ‘It’s forbidden to build in them so they are still very green,’ says Diederik von Bönninghausen, operations manager at the Museum Van Loon, which has been organising the event for over a decade. ‘People needed a coach house and arbours, so the design was very clever – lots of functionality in a small space. Today’s modern designers and forward-thinking owners are still making canal-house gardens.’ www.opentuinendagen.nl Book at: www.museumvanloon.nl/webshop

OPEN GARDEN DAYS

WIJNAND FOCKINK A distillery since 1679, this small tasting house nestled in an arcade behind the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky serves up more than 70 homemade jenevers, brandies and Old Dutch liqueurs, including Drie maal drie (Three Times Three), consisting of almonds, oranges and brandy, and Bruidstranen (Bride’s Tears), a spicy cinnamon-flavoured concoction. Weekends feature English-language guided tours with six sample tastings done the traditional way: you bow to your drink in its tulip glass to slurp your first gulp. Standing room only, which no doubt aids in the bow and slurp ritual; it doesn’t get more intimate than this. Pijlsteeg 31 www.wynand-fockink.nl/en

LIVING ROOM RESTAURANTS The opposite of the exclusive secret bars, these living-room restaurants are warm, welcoming and great for a home-away-fromhome dining experience – especially for large groups looking for a comfy place to celebrate. Saskia’s Huiskamerrestaurant, or Saskia’s Living-Room Restaurant, at Albert Cuypstraat 203C is perhaps the city’s oldest, dating back almost a decade. For less than 40, you can eat and drink the night away, give a helping hand in the kitchen and even treat yourself to wine from their fridge. Former fashion designer Marit Beemster also turned her passion for cooking into a restaurant, in her own living room in the east of the city (Andreas Bonnstraat 34HS). Three times a week, guests are welcomed into her stylish home for a seasonal vegetarian meal for under 30. If it’s more a living-room café you’re looking for, head to Café Brecht (Weteringschans 157), where the German beer flows and the retro Berlin decor – think comfy chairs, old-fashioned wallpaper, last-century table lamps and your grandmother’s coffee cups – will make you feel like you’ve entered a very cosy time warp.

www.huiskamerrestaurant.com www.maritshuiskamerrestaurant.nl www.cafebrecht.nl

Want to meet Vincent? Book online. Skip online. vangoghmuseum.com Van Gogh engages you.

may & jun 2016

PART II 20 22 25 29 30 31 32

ENTERTAINMENT

’I’M HAPPY WHEN MY WORK TAKES ME TO A BEAUTIFUL PLACE LIKE AMSTERDAM.’

Daniele Gatti, the new chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, looks forward to discovering the city in more depth.

HELMUT NEWTON HOLLAND FESTIVAL EASY VIRTUE AMSTERDAM HOSTS FOOD FESTIVAL GUIDE THE NEW AMSTERDAMMERS FILM BANKSY @ MOCO MOCO, the brand new museum for modern and contemporary art gracing Musemplein since early April, shares its unprecedented collection of original Banksy artwork. The permanent exhibit features 90 paintings by the secretive street artist whose activism has resonated (and adorned façades) worldwide. To celebrate the opening of the museum, owners Lionel and Kim Logchies also regale visitors with a temporary showcase of another revolutionary artist who has made a profound mark on pop culture: Andy Warhol. Housed in the beautiful, historical setting of the Alsberg Townhouse, this is one new art institution we‘re happy to welcome in the city. MOCO Museum Honthorststraat 20 www.mocomuseum.com

It‘s Banksy-frenzy this season, as Beurs van Berlage is premiering the touring exhibition The Art of Banksy, featuring more than 80 original pieces (including the famous Balloon Girl) by the controversial graffiti artist, in a set that took a team of 80 workers a whole year to recreate, with vivid high-tech reconstructions of London streets and metro stations – and even the artist‘s studio. 18 JUNE-30 SEPT Beurs Van Berlage, Damrak 234 www.theartofbanksy.amsterdam

THE ART OF BANKSY @ BEURS VAN BERLAGE

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

helmut newton

Helmut Newton: Agent Photographer

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Helmut Newton’s legendary body of work created storms of controversy. Starting in June, more than 200 photographs by the iconic artist will commandeer FOAM’s entire building. text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

I 17 JUNE-4 SEPTEMBER FOAM, Keizersgracht 609 www.foam.org

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t takes a rare talent to make a woman look just as sexy in a tuxedo as in garters and vinyl stilettos – but especially, to spend almost half a century portraying stylised eroticism, urban decadence and even sadomasochism without looking anything like Terry Richardson’s spiritual dirty uncle. Still, throughout his body of work, Helmut Newton toyed with depictions of female nudity that sparked immense controversies, particularly at the peak of his career during the women’s liberation move-

ment. ‘It’s important to see his work in the spirit of the ’70s and ’80s,’ says FOAM curator Mirjam Kooiman. ‘The work of Yves Saint Laurent, with whom Newton collaborated, demonstrates the emergence of a much more powerful, almost masculine female image.’ While his detractors deplore his predilection for fetishism and his apparent objectification of women (as in his infamous series of a model sporting a horse saddle), his own models unequivocally leap to his defence as a man who loved women in the documen-

tary Provocateur. It also can’t be a fluke that the ‘King of Kink’ became the eye behind many emblematic portraits of such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Kim Basinger, Catherine Deneuve, and even… Margaret Thatcher. ‘My women are always victorious’, he argued; and, if his oeuvre is ripe with lush breasts and thighs, what truly shines through are the fierce, powerful poses, and the defiant stares affirming independence. AGENT PROVOCATEUR While obviously an outlet for

21 

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don’t miss these

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 DE MUZE VAN ZUID © RONALD KNAPP DE MUZE VAN ZUID

PIER DE JONG OPEN ATELIERS

AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR

Did you know that there are 70 streets named after composers in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam Zuid? Forty-five of those are Dutch musicians who have had a tremendous influence in the past five centuries, but whose music is rarely performed. The South Muse festival rights this terrible wrong by organising a full weekend of exceptional performances by young and established talents, with 17 concerts gracing not only famous stages like the Kleine Zaal at Concertgebouw, but also the Vondelpark, Orgelpark, and even street corners and private homes. The perfect opportunity for a musical springtime walk through a lovely neighbourhood. 21 & 22 MAY Various locations www.muzevanzuid.nl

 OPEN ATELIERS JORDAAN

A biannual tradition for the past five years, the Open Studio Tour is a rare chance to see all the wonderful art galleries of the Jordaan and meet the artists in an informal setting. Sixty-six different studios will fly the blue flag that shows their participation in this Spring 2016 edition, offering not only a chance to socialise with the area’s most coveted creatives, but also interesting prices on their work. There will also be guided tours, lectures and a Jazz concert on Sunday afternoon. Visit their website to obtain a guide map and create your own itinerary. 14-16 MAY Various locations in Jordaan www.openateliersjordaan.nl (Dutch)

 AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR his own private fantasies, his vision was especially a battering ram against taboos. It not only reshaped conventional perceptions of women and gender roles, it also gave scandal and sexuality a glamorous allure – not without a hint of what he himself called ‘his Berlin sense of humour’. ‘There are many layers to his work, which contains strong connections to surrealism,’ adds Kooiman. ‘ The focus on woman as an unattainable object of desire translates into a fascination for a dark, sometimes morbid preoccupation.’

None of this is surprising after a brief glimpse into Newton’s tumultuous history. Born Neustädter in 1920, he spent his teenage years in Third Reich Berlin, notorious for its excesses, depravity – and brothels. It even sheds a light on some of his chosen esthetics, clearly reminiscent, if not a purposeful hijack, of the Nazis: uniforms, flaunted shoulders, hands firmly planted on hips. After his apprenticeship with fashion photographer Yva (a woman, to be noted) was interrupted by his father’s internment in a concentration

camp, an 18 year old Newton flew to Singapore, where he made his way as a gigolo. When the war ended, British authorities sent him to Australia, where a contract with Vogue launched his career and he met his wife, June Browne. At 92 years old, Browne was instrumental in putting this retrospective together with FOAM and the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. Her 1995 film Newton by June shows that beside the monumental artist, stood a woman and a lifelong love story.

DANCE FESTIVALS

A whole weekend of partying in a giant park, with a fabulous line-up of electro DJs? Count us in. AOA is not just about music and dancing, though, as the emphasis is big on food, culture and creativity as well – and of course, nature, in the beautiful setting of Gaasperpark. If you understandably don’t want to leave all this fun-having for even a minute, you have the option to pitch your tent at the Gaasper Camping, where the party starts on Friday and goes on until Monday. Get your tickets early, as this mega spring event sells out fast. 4-5 JUNE Gaasperpark www.amsterdamopenair.nl

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

holland festival

Performing on the edge In June, Amsterdam will host the country’s largest international performing arts event, the Holland Festival, bringing together new and world-famous talent for boundary-breaking performances.

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text Catalina Iorga

‘H

ow amazing is it that in 1947, in places like Edinburgh and Amsterdam, new festivals began, and people turned to artists to understand post-war politics and help change the world?’ asks Ruth Mackenzie, Artistic Director of the Holland Festival (HF) since September 2014. The largest international performing arts festival in the Netherlands, HF turns 69 this year and centres on ‘Edges of Europe’, a timely theme that came about organically. ‘The festival is always artistled. With the Netherlands holding the 2016 presidency of the EU Council, we wanted to once again turn to artists for their ever surprising and adventurous take on Europe,’ she explains. A prime example of this artistic audacity is Ça ira (1) Fin de Louis by acclaimed French director Joël Pommerat. This almost-fivehour marathon play revolves around the 1789 French revolution, but features actors wearing modern clothing. Pommerat tackles current socio-political issues, such as austerity and government legitimacy, by exploring the foundations of modern Europe. ‘He

turns contemporary topics into fantastic art, inviting the audience to be right there with politicians and to grasp what democracy is’, Mackenzie adds. HF’s interpretation of edges also extends to the perspectives of people who literally live on the outer rim of the European Union, such as Estonian directing duo Ene-Liis Semper and Tiit Ojasoo, who adapted Austrian playwright Peter Handke’s Die Stunde da wir nichts voneinander wußten (The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other), a wordless play made up only of stage directions. ‘For two hours, 20 people interact in a European square, thinking deeply about the way we live,’ Mackenzie sums it up – including scenes reflective of a continent struggling to determine its identity while confronted with migrants and refugees. ON THE BRINK The festival also celebrates those who may not live on a border, but feel as if they are being pushed away. ‘The Syrian National Orchestra

don’t miss these CATHERINE THE GREAT The Hermitage is devoting the next seven months to one of its earliest patronesses, Catherine the Great, with a grand exhibition that delves into the intimacy of the tsarina. Famous for bringing about the Russian Golden Age during her reign, she was also passionate about the arts, culture and education. Based on her memoirs and those of contemporaries, the museum has gathered more than 300 objects belonging to the great ruler, including dresses, jewellery and the finest works from her ample personal art collection. This in-depth look at a monumental historical figure shines a rare light on the woman behind the throne.

FROM 18 JUNE Hermitage Museum, Amstel 51 www.hermitage.nl

for Arabic Music has some of the best musicians in the world, who are now, due to the civil war, scattered all over the globe,’ says Mackenzie. The orchestra’s members will reunite for the first time since the start of the Syrian conflict. Another achievement stemming from Mackenzie’s self-imposed mandate to create new traditions is the Holland Festival Proms, a hyper-condensed, one-day version of the eight-week long BBC Proms. Audiences will only pay €10 per concert to see the best artists in the world, including the famous Kronos Quartet performing both hits and new work, and quirky American pop musician Ben Folds teaming up with the New York-based youth orchestra yMusic. It looks like those curious enough to venture on the edges of the HF are in for an unforgettable ride. 4-26 JUNE 2016 www.hollandfestival.nl All theatre performances will be surtitled in both Dutch and English.

It’s graduation time! At the end of June, hundreds of freshlyminted performers are suddenly released upon the city in the biggest festival of its kind. Two hundred local and international newbie directors, actors, dancers, mime artists and other performing artists will try their young chops in more than 50 productions thrown by professional venues. A great chance to get a glimpse at the future generation of stage talents, who also bring their energy to a variety of side-dish events such as debates, workshops and of course parties. Ticket sales open mid-May.

22-30 JUNE Various locations www.itsfestivalamsterdam.com

TRANSATLANTIC Four outstanding talents from both sides of the ocean are being brought together by the National Ballet for a spectacular bouquet of modern-day ballet performances. Year of the Rabbit, by New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck, who, at only 27 years old, is already famous for his work infused with energy and passion, is set to music by Sufjan Stevens. Britain’s George Williamson is creating a new work especially for the show. Hailing from Berlin, David Dawson is bringing his virtuoso ensemble piece Overture, inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poetry. Finally, local prodigy Ernst Meisner will present the world premiere of his new choreography.

AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL FESTIVAL

11-26 JUNE Dutch National Ballet www.operaballet.nl

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PART II ADVERTORIAL

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Get out of town AMSTERDAM CASTLE MUIDERSLOT © WARREN RICHARDSON WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2016

PIET KRAMER, DRIE KASTEN, 1918-CA. 1935, COLL. STEDELIJK MUSEUM

You’ll be surprised at how much of Amsterdam and the surrounding region you can see with your I amsterdam City Card.

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STEDELIJK MUSEUM LIVING IN THE AMSTERDAM SCHOOL Until 28 August

The Amsterdam School of architecture and design celebrates its 100th birthday with a major exhibit at the Stedelijk Museum, featuring more than 300 dressers, cabinets, lampshades, ceramics, clocks and other colourful and typical objects from famous Amsterdam School architects and designers such as de Klerk and Piet Kramer. FREE entrance with your I amsterdam City Card

DE NIEUWE KERK WORLD PRESS PHOTO Until 10 July

The Nieuwe Kerk exhibits large prints of the winning photographs of this prestigious yearly Photojournalism competition. From the harsh realities of war to beautiful portraits and rare animal documentary shots, it's an essential roundup of the hottest topics covered in the news over the past 12 months. FREE with I amsterdam City Card/surcharge €3,50

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easy virtue

PART II

A ﬁne body of work The business and pleasure of the oldest profession is the focus of Easy Virtue, a new exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum that’s as poignant as it is playful. text Mark Smith

e live in such enlightened times that it’s now customary to sell practically all commodities, from songs to sunglasses, using women’s bodies as glistening inducements. How interesting, then, from our moral vantage point, to contemplate the manner in which women’s bodies were literally bought and sold in 19th-century France, back when a glimpse of ankle could cause a minor scandal. Ambiguity abounds within the opening paces of Easy Virtue, the exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum that explores representations of prostitution between 1850 and 1910. A canvas by society painter James Tissot entitled ‘The Shop Girl’ hints at the fine line between early consumerism and prostitution in Belle Époque France. A top-hatted man gazes through the window of a haberdasher, presumably with money to spend. But is he eyeing up the goods, or the slender saleswomen? Look closer and there’s a fallen ribbon under the counter. It has landed in a perfect heart shape. A coincidence? In another context, such delicious details might go unnoticed. But here, in a collection of more than 100 paintings, objects and works on paper, set amid the 50 shades of pink and theatrical props of a masterful exhibition designed by Dutch creative duo Clement & Sanôu, the wicked whispers soon build to a complex and compelling din. BUSINESS, ART AND PLEASURE Is it really so fanciful to suggest that the fine, spotted veil worn by Louis Anquetin’s ‘Woman at the ChampsÉlysées by Night’ references the smallpox that blighted fin-de-siècle streetwalkers? Not with the benefit of hindsight. Upstairs, in the nearoppressive aubergine cocoon of a section entitled ‘At the Brothel’, Belgian caricaturist Félicien Rops depicts

Parisian prostitutes being hosed down like animals, after Bonaparte introduced laws requiring them to register with police and undergo medical checks. It’s hard to imagine that all of this was driven entirely by documentary fervour, of course. As a body of work, Easy Virtue must represent the ultimate confluence of business and pleasure. Valtesse de La Bigne – one of a select group of revered courtesans – was so active amongst Paris’ brushmen that she acquired the nickname ‘The Painters’ Union’. And yet it makes sense on a level beyond the crudely transactional that whores and artists should be comfortable bedfellows; the studio and the brothel aren’t a million miles apart, after all. As Charles Baudelaire put it in one of his early journals: ‘What is art? Prostitution.’ From the host of theatrical displays, coded messages and boudoir props assembled for this magnificent exhibition, it’s hard not to conclude that – yes, yes – prostitution can be an art, too.

UNTIL 19 JUNE Van Gogh Museum www.vangoghmuseum.nl

featured artist

don’t miss these

text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

‘Life is a terminal disease, and it is sexually transmitted’

A clearing in the woods, meat sizzling on barbecues, a bunch of friends and a glass of wine (or 12 – who are we to judge?): it’s the winning recipe of the Bacchus Wine Festival, a lighthearted fair that tastes like country. Plastic is banned and visitors enjoy the first days of summer by walking among the trees or sitting on hay bales with their stem glass of red, rosé or white. Wine is the star of the show, with many tasting shops, tents and workshops, but there’s lots of great food and music on the menu too.

BACCHUS WINE FESTIVAL

10-12 JUNE AND 17-19 JUNE Amsterdamse Bos www.bacchuswijnfestival.nl (Dutch)

JOHN CLEESE Born: 27 October 1939 in England Talent: Does the illustrious comedian still need an introduction? Cleese, of Monty Python’s fame (which he co-founded in the late 1960s), has starred in many iconic sitcoms and movies such as the hilarious A Fish Called Wanda – which he also wrote. He’s also made excursions into action-adventure flicks with his appearance in James Bond as the infamous Q, and in three Harry Potter adaptations as Nearly Headless Nick. His personal brand of very British dark and absurd humour has garnered him a reputation as one of the funniest people in Hollywood – and the rest of the planet, really.

Still working the stage as a stand-up comedian, his latest show ‘Last Time to See Me Before I Die’ is coming to Amsterdam’s Royal Theatre Carré on May 2-3. While he’s not planning on dying any time soon, 76-year-old Cleese regales fans with this treasure of a self-eulogy, filled with nuggets of stories on his life and career, including exclusive video clips – such as the one where he actually eulogised former Monty Python mate Graham Chapman (who died of cancer in his forties) with a dry ‘Good riddance, you free-loading bastard.’ The tone is set. 2-3 MAY Royal Theatre Carré Amstel 115 www.carre.nl

The delicate and colourful Japanese porcelain traditions from Arita, where porcelain was first discovered in the 17th Century (and is still being made today), are being revisited by contemporary Dutch artists to honour the collaboration between the Dutch and Japanese creative industries. Dutch design duo Scholten and Baijings teamed up with Teruhiro Yanagihara to direct 16 elite designers from Europe, America and Japan in the creation of this gorgeous collection, which makes a lovely marriage between ancient and modern crafts. Simultaneously, an exhibition of the Rijksmuseum’s 110 pieces of Kakiemon porcelain will also be running in the Asian Pavilion.

ARITA PORCELAIN

UNTIL 9 OCTOBER Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1 www.rijksmuseum.nl

VIVA BRASIL FESTIVAL Viva Brasil brings some latin heat to our chilly city with a lively celebration of music and dance, including a slew of performances of Brazilian Jazz, Samba and Popular Music by acclaimed Brazilian musicians and other international artists, such as Yamandu Costa, who will be honoured guests at some of Amsterdam’s most coveted venues (the Concertgebouw, Bimhuis, etc). Food and film are also in the spotlight, as the event is focused on mingling culture and customs and building bridges between our two continents with shared passions.

25-26 JUNE Various locations www.vivabrasil.nl

highlights

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Sky’s the limit

We saw it for you: Theater Amsterdam’s brand new musical flaunts 3D projections

C Openluchttheater

Rain or shine, summer is show time for Vondelpark text Mark Smith

msterdam’s biggest green space was unveiled in 1865 by an association specifically designating it for ‘riding and strolling’. Strumming, acting and singing were soon added, albeit unofficially, to that list of pursuits as the ‘Nieuwe Park’ became a popular place for showing off. When a statue of 17th-century poet Joost van den Vondel was added in 1867, the park’s artistic sensibilities were sealed with a name change. In the 1950s, informal ‘happenings’ began to enliven the park, reflecting a burgeoning countercultural spirit that would culminate in the late 1960s with round-the-clock love- and music-making. It wasn’t until 1974, however, that the ‘Vondelpark Openluchttheater’ (Vondelpark Open Air Theatre) was born in a purpose-built amphitheatre near the 1930s Modernist pavilion of the Blauwe Theehuis café. Since then, from early May until late September each year, the eclectic programme of the Openluchttheater has incorporated a heady array of artistic disciplines. The Openluchttheater seeks to offer something for everyone

– and this year is no exception, with a specific ‘Language No Problem’ website. That doesn’t include the kick-off Liberation Day event for Children on 5 May, marking the end of Nazi occupation – but the spectacle of small children singing with gusto should transcend all barriers. The third weekend of May sees a preview of the muliticultural Kwaku Summer Festival, whose origins lie in celebrating the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies. The start of the theatre programme is marked on 5 June with a performance from the Dutch-Suriname sensation Kenny B, whose smash hit ‘Parijs’ has had more than 22 million views on YouTube since its release in March. He’ll pave the way for the likes of the NedPhO ensemble and the Jazz Orchestra of the Royal Concertgebouw (both 12 June), the Dutch National Ballet (17 June) and much more. Although attendees are invited to make a voluntary donation of €1 per visit, performances are entirely free. Those hippies would be proud. 5 MAY-11 SEPTEMBER Vondelpark Openluchttheater www.vondelparkconcerts.nl

learly, Robin de Levita and Kees Abrahams, producers at Theater Amsterdam, relish telling stories of distressed yet courageous teenage girls. But while their hit play Anne enjoyed a successful two-year run, their new production Sky may be standing on wobblier legs. Tales of troubled youth must resonate with that youth while being relatable to the adult audience, and it’s not a tightrope that the writers walked with much agility. The result is the cliché-ridden story of 16-year-old Sky, who, bullied at school and lonely at home, decides to wolf down a bagful of drugs. While her body lies in a coma between life and death, her consciousness evades into a dream world: cue the trippy but cheap, and in the end quite useless 3D projections. The overdone story arcs are marred by sexist undertones and meek reinterpretations of Alice in Wonderland: her mean-girl arch-enemy appears as the

««¶¶¶ psychopathic Queen of the underworld; her best friend is a caterpillar who makes stereotypical jokes about women; and her drug dealer spends ten disturbing minutes groping her on stage. The music, produced by industry-name Marco Borsato, is vastly underwhelming, with lyrics ridden with platitudes. It’s a darn shame, as one of the few saving graces of the show is that Sky (Lisse Knaapen), her father (Edward Nieuwman) and her best friend (Roben Mitchell), pack voices with a real punch. Mitchell is actually a rising star with serious acting chops and a knack for comedy. The final dance number also reveals that the dancers’ admirable skills were terribly underused in awkward choreographies, so for all its wonkiness, Sky is at least deserving of a huge nod when it comes to casting. Theater Amsterdam www.theateramsterdam.nl

text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

Host community

Like the most attentive restaurants, Amsterdam has teams of hospitality ambassadors to help you navigate the city. They share their insiders’ tips on the best of Amsterdam.

        

text Lauren Comiteau

ERWIN PERDOK, 30 Assistant Manager and Host, I amsterdam store, Central Station • Exercise, drink or party at the Westerpark , ‘a cultural hub of people coming together and mixing smoothly.’ • Eat at REM Eiland , an oil platform-style restaurant atop a once legendary pirate broadcaster where the food rivals the astounding views over the IJ. • Head to the Foodhallen  for another successfully eclectic mix of good food, people and vibes. ELDERT DAMHOF, 24 Host, I amsterdam store, Central Station • Take a boat ride on the Amstel  • Steer clear of the crowds by hanging out at the Westerpark , where you can catch a great summer festival. • Head to a café or bar in De Pijp for conversation and gezelligheid (cosiness).

JORDI MAASKANT, 21 Host, Rembrandtplein • With three halls and five bars, Jantjes Verjaardag  off the Rembrandtplein will give you a strong shot of Dutch music and culture. • Café Bubbels  in the Leidseplein has the house and dance music Maaskant enjoys – minus the crowds. • The Cooldown Café Rembrandtplein  right on his turf is something ‘between a club and a bar’ that features pop hits four nights a week.

GILBERTO ARANGO (59) AND CATO KLOMP (65) Welcome Team members, Museumplein Arango’s Top 3: • Take a boat ride because Amsterdam is built on water. • Visit one of the museums on the Museumplein  • The Red Light District  is in a league of its own. Klomp’s Top 3: • Take a canal boat to see the city from another angle. • The Vondelpark  is a quiet oasis in the busy city. • Visit any museum, from the big to the small, such as Our Lord in the Attic . ‘It’s a little pearl, but no one knows it.’

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

food fests

The Ultimate Guide to Food Festivals

Fasten your napkins: Spring is also Amsterdam’s food festival season. Here’s a foretaste that’s sure to whet your appetite. text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

AMSTERDAM KOOKT 5-8 May Olympic Stadium www.amsterdamkookt.nl YUMMYA 5-8 May Jaap Eden IJsbaan www.yummya.nl ROLLING KITCHENS 12-16 May Westergasfabriek www.rollendekeuken.nl TASTE OF AMSTERDAM 2-5 June Amstelpark www.tasteofamsterdam. com HET HOOFDGERECHT 9-12 June Stenen Hoofd www.facebook.com/ hethoofdgerecht DUTCH RAW FOOD FESTIVAL 12 June Boerderij Langerlust, Provincialeweg 24 www.rawfoodfestival.nl

et’s be honest here, Amsterdam comes a bit short on two things: the splendour of the local cuisine (raw herring sandwich, anyone?), and the weather. Which is probably why few sights will cheer the locals just as much as a hearty line-up of food trucks when the spring sun finally rears its pretty head. Since you can’t really have too much of a good thing, here’s the great news: most upcoming weekends, one city park or another will be hosting a rolling food festival, all of which come packaged with interesting concepts, quality ingredients and a variety worthy of the city’s incredible diversity. The staple Rolling Kitchens (12-16 May) will again invest the Westergasfabriek with its dozens of food-mobiles handing out paper plates piled up with everything your appetite desires, from hot dogs and ice cream to more unexpected treats like lobster burgers and gourmet dim sums. The weekend before that, the Jaap Eden Ice Rink is transforming

into a real garden of Eden to welcome the first edition of Yummya (5-8 May), with such exotic offerings as MILF (Man, I Love Fish!)’s ceviches hailing from Baja California, Madame Cocos’ coconut-everythings, Dos Chicas’ back-tobasics but super-tasty Tex-Mex, and spicy hot Javanese comfort food at Javaanse Jongen. In the same vein and on the same dates, Amsterdam Kookt will also be parking its food on wheels at the Olympic Stadium, with musical performances as a side dish; and Het Hoofdgerecht (9-12 June) will season its family-oriented spirit with a performance stage, games and old-fashioned fair rides on the piers at Stenen Hoofd. FOODIE HEAVEN In addition to these essentials of local and international street foods, a couple of events spice up the fun with specialty concepts, such as Taste of Amsterdam (2-5 June), the ulti-

mate fantasy of all gourmet gluttons: restaurant-hopping. Some of the best food establishments in the city participate in this fantastic festival in the Amstelpark, where chefs from esteemed restaurants present mini portions of their signature dishes, such as Agus Hermawan from Blauw who will delight fans of Indonesian fare with his famous sate. Music, dancing and even cooking workshops (including many activities for children) are also part of the party for a long, delicious weekend. The Dutch Raw Food Festival (12 June) invites specialist chefs to demonstrate that raw food isn’t just an endless platter of raw crudités and detox smoothies by giving workshops on the confection of lip-smacking raw lasagna and raw chocolate. So, Paris may be the world’s culinary capital, but with the amount of great outdoors foodie events it’s about to dish out, it’s fair to nominate Amsterdam as the capital of the food festivals.

THE NEW AMSTERDAMMERS

After a decade of gracing the Concertgebouw’s podium with his visits as a guest conductor, revered maestro Daniele Gatti was invited to take on the role permanently. text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

‘We are members of a glorious institution’ 1. ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT MOVING TO AMSTERDAM? The life of a musician is not a normal life. We travel a lot, and our work schedule is very intense. Unfortunately, that leaves very little time for tourism. I’ve been here many times over the past ten years, but I have never had the chance to fully discover the city. I’m happy when my work takes me to a beautiful place like Amsterdam. I love to walk, so I am looking forward to having a few hours of freedom to explore.

hood of Zuid and the Vondelpark, so that’s where I’d like to settle. And I love the Rijksmuseum, right across the street, so this is a perfect location.

2. WILL YOU BE LIVING HERE FULL-TIME? My personal life is in Milan, so I will be travelling back and forth during my time as chief-conductor. My plan is to get a little piedà-terre here, because it will be more practical and feel more homey than staying in a hotel.

4. WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THE CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA? I’m extremely excited: it’s such a special place. It’s among the best orchestras in the world, with a fantastic history. The level of each musician is very high, and they all know we are members of a glorious institution. I particularly appreciate its deep respect for traditions while also having very open views on change. It makes tradition a continuous process, which each conductor can be a part of with his own ideas and inspiration. Making music here is very demanding, but on the other hand, very easy.

3. ANY AREA YOU FAVOUR ESPECIALLY? It’s too soon for me to really tell, but the Concertgebouw is very close to the beautiful neighbour-

5. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A GUEST CONDUCTOR AND THE NEW CHIEF? Everything starts anew. We know

each other, but when you are a guest, your musical behaviour is that of a guest as well, and when you become chief, it’s a much more influential position, not only for the orchestra, but also for the institution. And I become possessive of the orchestra! While playing more concerts together, we find a new goal – but without betraying the legacy of the orchestra, without forgetting its very high standards. We find a new way, together.

South, I’m a typical latin. Amsterdam is a very open and democratic town, but Northern Europeans are more reserved, so when we meet, maybe they will show some prudence, while we latins show a bit too much – they probably think we are a bit untidy!

6. DO YOU HAVE SOME FAVOURITE PLACES TO GO OUT? I am particularly fond of Lucius, the small fish restaurant on Spuistraat, and also the Japanese restaurant in the Okura Hotel, which is amazing. It’s important to me to find a couple of familiar places where I know I can eat healthy and quality foods.

8. WHAT PROJECTS WITH THE CONCERTGEBOUW DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO? We’re going to delve into all of Mahler’s work in the next five years, starting with the symphonies, as well as other leading composers such as Bruckner, Strauss and later Brahms – the late romantics. We are going to propose work of The Second Viennese School, Schönberg, Berg and Webern. And also the French school. And we’re going to make recordings of this core repertoire of the orchestra.

7. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT AMSTERDAM’S SPIRIT? I come from Italy, from the

9.DO YOU SPEAK ANY DUTCH? Yes, I know the word snaar – string. That's it!

PART II ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

film

Taking you through Amsterdam’s movie scene, one event at a time.

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HF @ The Movies

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Lucky us: this edition, the Holland Festival takes us to the cinema too – but of course, cinema with a twist or two...

text Bregtje Schudel

4-26 JUNE Holland Festival www.hollandfestival.nl

t had long been a dream for Scottish post-rock band Mogwai to collaborate with Irish filmmaker Mark Cousins (known for his 15-hour movie marathon The Story of Film: an Odyssey). Last year, they got their wish. To mark the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombings, Cousins dove into the archives to make Atomic, a whirlpool of images about our nuclear times. Mogwai composed the apocalyptic soundtrack, which they will perform live on Saturday 11 June. Some movies inspire monumental scores, but some iconic music pieces inspire film directors as well. In Die Schöpfung, Berlin artist Julian Rosefeldt composed a movie based on Haydn’s eponymous classical masterpiece, performed live by Collegium Vocale Gent, baroque orchestra B’Rock and

three star singers. While Die Schopfüng covers creation, in Real Enemies, composer Darcy James Argue and his Secret Society big band are mining some modern day myths, namely conspiracy theories, from the assassination of JFK to extraterrestrials living in the White House. Fifteen giant screens demonstrate that Big Brother is always watching. DOCUMENTARIES WITH A CAUSE In March 2010, Estonian theatre group NO99 announced that it would form a new, populist, political party, called Ühtne Eesti (Unified Estonia). Its opinions were as ludicrous as they were controversial; still, almost 7,500 people attended their first party convention. You probably guessed already: Ühtne Eesti wasn’t real, although they did liberally bor-

row their populist and negative rhetoric from actual political factions. The documentary As en Geld (Ash and Money) shows us how it all went down. Dutch director Mijke de Jong (Bluebird, Tussenstand) takes a look at what happens when actors stop acting and…well… start acting (Stop Acting Now – extended edition). PUPPETRY FOR GROWN-UPS Finally, there’s Cabaret Crusades: The Secrets of Karbala by Wael Shawky, the final instalment in his trilogy on the crusades, seen from the Arabian perspective. All movies feature puppets and have their own unique style. The puppets in The Secrets of Karbala are made of delicate hand-blown Murano glass, which make the horrors they endure hit home even harder.

highlight

nightlife essentials

Our must-see film(-related) pick this issue…

DOEK JAZZ FESTIVAL

TZIGANE

THE KINDLY ONES

The Doek collective is composed of jazz musicians with a common vision, sharing a passion not only for improvisation but also for their references and techniques. In addition to organising concerts and tours year-round, they’ve also founded the action-packed Doek Festival which puts impro jazz in the spotlight for six whole days, with not only a plethora of wildly anticipated performances by big industry names (such as Michael Moore Bigtet, Jason Roebke Ensemble, and Hook Line & Sinker) but also a selection of dance and films on the same theme. A treat for jazz fans who flock to Zaal 101 and Bimhuis DON GIOVANNI Mozart’s timeless masterpiece from all over the world. is being brought to the stage UNTIL 4 MAY of the National Opera by mu- Various locations sical director Marc Albrecht, in www.doek.org this modern and moody interpretation which takes place in THE CONCERTGEBOUW a forest at night. Don Giovan- ORCHESTRA DOES POP ni (based on the story of Don ART While traditionally, pop and Juan), an unrepentant parclassical don’t mix, the Concertty-boy and womaniser, is gebouw Orchestra is letting prowling the gardens of the Commendatore, waiting for a down their hair for this very chance to ravish his daughter. unique concert that blends genMortally wounded in his con- res and boundaries with fun and flair. No more ‘high-’ and ‘low-’ frontation with the outraged brow cultures: the orchestra, father, Don Giovanni’s final the Holland Festival and pop hours are filled with otherperformers are joining forces worldly encounters – or are they hallucinations? The clas- for a musical adventure which will bring together such unexsic tale balances drama and comedy on a gorgeously dec- pected marriages as Soprano Claron McFadden and pop act orated set with Christopher Son Lux. Martin in the lead role. 16-17 JUNE 7-29 MAY Royal Concertgebouw  Dutch National Opera  www.concertgebouw.nl www.operaballet.nl Canada’s Kaytranada is the next big pop/hip-hop producer with underground credibility. Treading in the footsteps of J Dilla, Timbaland and The Neptunes, Kaytranada loves collaborating with artists, producing and remixing. He treats his fast-growing cult following to a very distinctive leftfield yet smooth sound. Expect a highly entertaining and educative DJ set from this man, whose debut album 99.9% is due out soon. 6 MAY Melkweg  www.melkweg.nl

Fury! Punk Out at EYE

t’s actually happened: punk rock has become middle aged! And what better way to celebrate 40 years of punk than with a special programme? ‘FURY! Punk Culture’ may be EYE’s most expansive programme yet, with documentary and feature film screenings, music performances and with two special appearances by Don Letts, filmmaker and former DJ at the legendary London nightclub The Roxy. Don’t miss his documentary Punk Attitude (2005), and go spelunking into the underbelly of punk history. Go watch Jim Jarmusch’s debut feature Permanent Vacation (1980); The Great Rock ‘n Roll Swindle by Julien Temple, a merrily anarchic ‘documentary’ on the demise of The Sex Pistols; and Derek Jarman’s Jubilee (where Queen Elizabeth I time-travels to late twentieth-century Britain). Or sink your teeth into schlocky horror flick The Driller Killer (1979) by Abel Ferrara, where a put-upon artist gets driven to homicide by his noisy neighbour. We don’t need a time machine to find punk rock heroes (and heroines), though. Documentary Tomorrow (Zavtra) follows the travails of radical Russian artist collective Voina, who once painted a giant penis on the bridge opposite the headquarters of the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau. Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer shows us never-before-seen footage of the court case against the members of feminist Russian punk band Pussy Riot, who got three years of forced labour for an impromptu performance in a Moscow cathedral. For those who really want to punk out, there will be live performances by English band The Restarts, and by Dutch groups The Ex, The Local Spastics and Vitamin X.

KAYTRANADA

26 MAY-15 JUNE EYE www.eyefilm.nl

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French masterpieces take centre stage at the Royal Concertgebouw for two very rare performances of the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Marc Albrecht and accompanied by virtuoso violinist Gordan Nikolic. This unique musical collaboration will bring a programme rich in marvellous pieces from the romantic era, from the monumental L’Arlésienne by Bizet and Ravel’s Tzigane to Dutilleux’s Métaboles and works by Saint-Saëns. A not-to-bemissed delight for fans of rhapsodic violin. 27-28 MAY Royal Concertgebouw  www.concertgebouw.nl

Adapted from Jonathan Littell’s controversial novel, the story of this very unique play staged by the acclaimed Toneel Group is told from the point of view of Nazi SS officer Max Aue. It deconstructs with much humanity and yet surgical coldness the slow descent into madness of the people who lived under the Third Reich, demonstrating (without excusing) that circumstances can make monsters of everyday men. The grave subject is tackled with much intelligence and insight, for a different point of view on Europe’s darkest deeds and hours. The show is surtitled in English. 19 & 26 MAY Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam  www.tga.nl

The I amsterdam Store is open! If Amsterdam were a store, what would it look like? Find the answer to that question on the south side of Amsterdam Central Station. Discover the best of Amsterdam in the I amsterdam Store.

BEST OF AMSTER DAM

#iamsterdamstore

may & jun 2016

PART III

EAT DRINK CHIC

36 43 44 46 48 51

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: OUD WEST COLUMN EATING OUT ON THE MENU PRETTY THINGS WHAT’S IN STORE

ROOM ON THE ROOF A hidden gem of Amsterdam, the bright and airy Room on the Roof of de Bijenkorf luxury department store regularly hosts rising-star artists who can use the creative space to bring their new project to fruition. Typographer and mural artist Job Wouters got inspired by the renovation of the escalators on the ground floor, and in only four days used the space on the top floor to build and paint an awe-inspiring 200m2 mosaic that covers up the gigantic security fence around the construction site. The result is a gargantuan and witty piece of art made of over 5,000 colourful tiles, which announces ‘work in progress’ in many different languages – a beautiful and unique ornament worthy of Amsterdam’s most prestigious shopping destination. Room on the Roof de Bijenkorf, Dam 1 www.roomontheroof.com

‘OUD WEST HAS BEEN DEVELOPING A LOT WHILE RETAINING ITS GENUINE VARIETY OF CULTURES.’

Max van Klink and Imo Noordman, enjoying a drink on Coffe Room‘s sunny terrace

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

Neighbourhood watch

OUD WEST

SARA WEVER, 24 works in hospitality

‘I’ve lived here three years and I love it. It’s nice that all these new shops are opening, it really feels like a friendly extension of the Nine Streets, and I’ve heard from local businesses that it’s bringing more traffic.’

neighbourhood watch

In the past few years, this little neighbourhood with local flair has grown into a vibrant shopping district that many tout as the Nine Streets’ little sister. text & photos Marie-Charlotte Pezé map Monique Wijbrands/SaltyStock

The authentic Amsterdam

ew visitors ever cross Singelgracht into Oud West, and it’s a darn shame – even though some locals would probably argue that that’s exactly why their neighbourhood has reached such an ideal balance of vitality and tranquility. It may not be as lovely as the Jordaan or as lively as Leidseplein, but it’s a little bit like their perfect lovechild. The area is naturally designed as a grid, with smaller residential streets intersected by large commercial arteries, some hailing straight from the city centre, such as Overtoom, De Clercqstraat or Kinkerstraat, and some more local like Bilderdijkstraat which have taken a life of their own. In between these main avenues, the quaint and quiet, tree-lined residential streets are mostly composed of four-storey brick buildings from the 19th Century, originally developed for working-class families. Nothing to write home about, but they make for cheerful strolls interspersed with canals populated by ducks and houseboats, and small, charming parks such as Bellamyplein or Staringplein. It’s a great outlook into the authenticity of Amsterdam, the importance it

places on quality of life, and its general joyful and easy-going spirit. In spite of a recent gentrification, the area has retained an enormous diversity from its historical background – and certainly because it is a favourite among students and young families: of the 180 nationalities present in Amsterdam, Oud West is home to more than 175. ‘We really enjoy hanging out here,’ say Max van Klink and Imo Noordman, who are taking a break from their hospitality school around the corner at the sunny terrace of the friendly local hang-out Coffee Room. ‘It’s been developing lately, with lots of cool new restaurants and shops, but it’s managed to retain its genuine variety of cultures. You see people from all over the world, and they live together very harmoniously.’ This heterogeneity is most evident in the food options all over the neighbourhood: Asian loempia stands and Surinamese buffets rub elbows with middle-eastern kebab snack bars and gourmet Ethiopian restaurants like nowhere else in the city. Ten Katemarkt, a small but very lively market hidden away on a side street, is a mosaic of vegeta-

neighbourhood watch

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

A great outlook into the authenticity of Amsterdam, its quality of life and easy-going spirit ble stalls run by Algerian merchants, fabric shops flaunting bold African colours, local Dutch cheeses, fat Italian sausages, and vats of creamy Greek hummus. A RISING STAR This charmed life wasn’t going to stay a secret much longer. Over the past few years, the cheap shops and generic brands geared towards lower-income families have slowly been replaced by a more trendy fare. The second-hand shops on Bilderdijkstraat are carrying more luxury and sought-after items, and have seen new neighbours move in with funky, alternative and attractive concepts, such as grocery shop Bilder & DeClercq, greenery-enamoured Wildernis, and Asian-fusion star restaurant Happyhappyjoyjoy. New hotspot cafés have sprouted all over Kinkerstraat, lining up benches on the street where hipsters, businessmen and young mothers with strollers sit together with their cups of organic, freshly-ground coffee. Jan Pieter Heijestraat, which was always the odd duck of the neighbourhood with its handful of cool little shops, is now a bizarre tapestry of local laundromats, hairdressers and hardware shops, and a slew of designer boutiques of trendy fashion or interior wares. But when it comes to interior design, Overtoom takes the cake. If the large avenue that cuts into West directly from Leidseplein looks utterly industrial and unattractive, it’s actually ripe with great furniture stores, as well as entertainment venues such as independent culture staple OT301 and giant pool-hall Plan B, and many great restaurants like Ethiopian Addis Ababa, Tex-Mex Tomatillo, and Mediterranean Frenzi Cucina. ‘I love it. All these new shops

BILDER & DE CLERCQ When this concept food store opened five years ago, we had doubts on its longevity: Albert Heijn is right across the street! And it carries everything! But it turns out the plot was genius. We’ve all been stuck in a cooking rut, rotating the same handful of easy dinners to whip up after a long day at work. Then in came Bilder & De Clercq, with its fresh foods and fresh ideas. The concept is simple: each stand contains all the ingredients required to prepare the recipe which enticingly looms over the pedestal on a giant poster. It also carries gourmet breads and desserts, wines, oils and spices, so that even a pit stop across the street never proves necessary.

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De Clercqstraat 44 www.bilderdeclercq.nl

HAPPYHAPPYJOYJOY The opening of Happyhappyjoyjoy last year was one of the hints that the neighbourhood is going hip. Creative celebrity chef Julius Jasper brings his own twists to spicy streetfood from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand such as Har Kau, Shao Mai, and of course sizzling barbecues and woks. The visually-laden décor is, indeed, so happy-happy that it’s difficult to have a bleak meal at this temple of everything Asian fusion.

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Bilderdijkstraat 158 www.happyhappyjoyjoy.asia

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DE FOODHALLEN

TEN KATEMARKT

The highlight of De Hallen is definitely the food section, a tram-depot size warehouse filled with mini-restaurants and food stands with such a variety of fares that it’s probably the safest bet for a difficult date. Wood-fire oven pizza? Fresh lobster? Gourmet burgers? Vegetarian rolls? French pastries? They have it all. If not particularly intimate with its flurry of communal tables, the space is airy and bright.

One of the smallest daily street markets of Amsterdam, Ten Katemarkt is nonetheless full of charm and local colour, and ripe with mouth-watering surprises. Among many more, the wild variety of sinfully creamy hummus from middle-eastern Deli Fresh Delicatessen is worth the trip in itself, as is the Italian deli which crumbles under the weight of its delicious cheeses, sausages and fresh antipasti.

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Bellamyplein 51 www.foodhallen.nl

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Ten Katestraat www.tenkatemarkt.nl

neighbourhood watch

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

JOHNNY AT THE SPOT Before West started being dubbed ‘the extension of the Nine Streets’, Jan Pieter Heijestraat already showcased its fair share of very cool little shops, such as Johnny at the Spot which now has three different stores on the same block. In addition to urbanwear fashion and trendy sneakers, they offer unique and witty kitchen gadgets, gifts and home decor, such as monkey lamps, striped earthenware and square flowerpots with bold geometrical shapes. Jan Pieter Heijestraat 90, 92, 94 www.johnnyatthespot.com

LAB111 Lab111 goes one step further than many independent movie houses, without being high-brow or obscure. Their spiel is rather lively and interesting, with events such as Doc111 nights of international documentary shorts; Italian Cinema for lovers of the genre; and even round tables on media-related subjects. And their Expat Cinema (foreign movies with English subtitles) garners a huge sigh of relief from non-Dutch speakers citywide. Arie Biemondstraat 111 www.lab111.nl

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HOLLANDSCHE MANEGE In a small street by the Vondelpark lies the discreet, classical white stone entrance to De Hollandsche Manege. After walking in, the unsuspecting visitor will wonder what Alice-in-Wonderland treachery is in the works, though: the place is not only absolutely magnificent, but so monumentally large with its highceilinged, historical riding rink and long row of stables, that it seems impossible to have fit behind that inconspicuous façade. In addition to its renowned, 130year-old riding school, it also houses a fascinating museum about horsemanship, and a gift shop that would make any horse enthusiast squeal with glee. A hidden gem through and through.

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Vondelstraat 140 www.dehollandschemanege.nl

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OT301 This non-profit has been feeding Amsterdam’s alternative art scene with great projects since 1999, back when squatting buildings was the thing to do for young emerging artists. Since then they’ve grown and gone ‘legit’, but without losing their spirit for creative adventures, and the space offers a programme that’s not only rich in concerts, dance and every other kind of performances under the sun, but also art exhibits, workshops and film screenings. They also host a small bookshop and a vegan kitchen, and they hire out studio space to artists, lecturers and musicians. In brief, it’s a fabulous, independent free-for-all of emerging creativity. Overtoom 301 www.ot301.nl

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BAS ROELEVELD, 42, AND RISTO, 5 Works in customer service

‘They just demolished my street as part of the renovation process, so after 13 years in the neighbourhood, I have to move, which is awfully sad because it’s becoming so vibrant and it has improved so much!’

MAX VAN KLINK, 22, AND IMO NOORDMAN, 21 In hospitality school

‘We really enjoy hanging out here. It’s been developing lately, with lots of cool new restaurants and shops, but its managed to retain its genuine variety of cultures.’

DE ITALIAAN This pretty – and romantic, in a non-ostentatious way – little trattoria, which sits on a quiet, tree-lined corner of Oud West, is no regular pizza joint. Their wood-fire oven pizzas are generously garnished with the most flavourful mozzarella, pecorino or mascarpone; adorned with perfectly roasted vegetables, and paper-thin slices of melt-in-your-mouth cold cuts imported from Italy. The chef also creates surprising marriages, such as blanketing his veal Scaloppine with rich Gorgonzola and a copious amount of port sauce. And don’t get us started on their heavenly pillow of homemade panna cotta… Bosboom Toussaintstraat 29 www.deitaliaan.com

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are opening, and it feels like a friendly extension of the Nine Streets,’ says Sara Wever, who moved here three years ago. This slow transformation of the neighbourhood started before the construction of cultural, gastronomy and fashion centre De Hallen in Kinkerbuurt, but the completion of the monumental project has definitely brought the popularity of the area to new heights. Originally a disaffected tram depot mired by illegal squatters, the city-block-wide building was entirely rehabilitated over the past couple of years, and the result is astonishing: the brick and glass warehouse is now home to a cinema, a library, and fashion and design shops including – but not limited to! – Local Goods Store, Charlie & Mary, Felt Amsterdam, and the Recycle Bike Shop (which also happens to be a fantastic socially-conscious initiative). Last but not least, it also houses the giant Food Hallen, an indoor culinary market with dozens of food stands that serve everything from burgers to lobster. Local businesses rejoice, as all this novelty and excitement is bringing a lot more traffic. But the sudden changes have also brought some inconveniences to the locals (the construc-

tion of De Hallen took years and was anything but a quiet affair) and, understandably, some residents are watching their neighbourhood lose its original personality with heartache. Bas Roeleveld saw his street demolished and, after 13 years in Oud West, must now find new lodgings. ‘Honestly, even though the library and cinema are great additions, the area has lost a lot of its authentic charm. Gearing it towards visitors rather than locals is driving the prices up. It doesn’t feel as quiet and peaceful as it used to,’ regrets Magrita Rondeel, who has also lived here for 13 years. ‘Also, parking has become a nightmare!’ Still. We dare you to take a walk along Bellamystraat, with its pretty single-family homes surrounded by overgrown gardens and cast-iron gates, or leafy and flowered Kanalstraat, or classy Vondelstraat with its mansions overlooking Vondelpark, without feeling a burning desire to call a housing agency. In the meantime, Oud West is the perfect place for an afternoon stroll peppered with many shopping and entertainment opportunities, the real Amsterdam way.

PART III ADVERTORIAL

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UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY The canal cruise departs daily from Damrak, very centrally located within walking distance from Amsterdam Central Station. Get on board, sit back and put your headphones on. It is all you need to embark on your unforgettable journey through the city. We will fill your ears with local anecdotes, secrets hidden under years of history, and fitting music and sound effects – yes, that was a cannonball. Canal cruising is the perfect way to get to know the city, without even breaking a sweat. GET A DISCOUNT Of course you can get tickets at our offices, right where the boats leave. But why not buy your tickets online at our website grayline.nl? You will get a €2.50 discount using promocode ‘amag2016’, and enjoy this great Amsterdam experience at the best rate.

PART III

EAT, DRINK & CHIC

When in Amsterdam…

After two decades here, native New Yorker Lauren Comiteau is still working out how to ‘go Dutch’.

CASH IS KING

Lauren Comiteau is a journalist and writer who has been covering the Netherlands for TIME magazine, CBS Radio and others since 1996. She lives in Amsterdam with her two daughters.

fter I sold the Amsterdam house I’d raised my daughters in for over a decade, I was about to plunge all my profits into a new one. A firm believer in ‘real’ estate, I wanted to wend my way back up the ownership ladder, especially since interest rates were about to hit zero. As a freelancer, though, a mortgage is about as impossible to obtain as a parking space on a Sunday night in my beloved De Pijp neighbourhood. Still, I was ready to buy. ‘Cash is king,’ my father, a longtime Wall Street moneyman and admitted ATM-skeptic, advised me. ‘Hold on to it in this uncertain world for a bit.’ But it got me thinking: in the Netherlands, cash is not only not king, it’s more like the joker. In so many places, it has simply ceased to be recognised as legal tender. More and more stores these days, from the ubiquitous upscale almost-organic food store Marqt to my local coffee roasters and even the bagel shop, take pin – or debit – cards exclusively. ‘It’s safer for us not to have cash on hand,’ one Marqt worker told me. ‘And because we don’t have to transport it by security trucks, we are a littler greener.’ Fair enough for a store whose mission is

healthy eating, although I have seen many a tourist baffled after perusing the shelves and then being unable to purchase their goods with actual bank notes. But a major bank? All Dutch banks now charge a fee if you deposit cash more than a certain amount of times per year. At my own ING, it’s six euros per deposit after the first six. ‘Cash is expensive,’ an ING worker told me. ‘We don’t keep it at the bank and have to pay to cart it off to the central bank.’ She says the majority of people get paid by direct deposit anyway, so the policy doesn’t really affect them. (Clearly, they don’t have an alimony-paying ex in a cash business.) As for cheques, although Americans still use them, my ING guide says that at the branch level, they don’t even know what to do with them. A teller once told me that my work cheque would take six weeks to clear as it had to be sent back to the US. ‘By pony express?’ I asked. Cash may soon be going the way of the cheque. And frankly, so may the teller. Metaphorically-speaking, of course, cash will always be king; if you have the funds, you’ll be sitting pretty atop the throne. Just don’t forget to bring along your debit card.

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

EATING OUT

Our top dining options, from firm favourites to precocious newcomers.

text Karin Engelbrecht

LT. CORNELIS

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Voetboogstraat 13 www.restaurantcornelis.amsterdam

NEW

This Dutch cuisine specialist has us all fired up. The restaurant, which recently shot up on a 15th-century shooting range, was named after one of the subjects in Dutch master Frans Hals’ famous militia portrait. Fittingly, a reproduction lines one wall of the strikingly renovated space and the painting’s colour scheme is applied throughout. Other interesting design touches include lamps made of copper, distillation tanks over the marble bar, and the use of cinemagraphs, which bring a few familiar Dutch reproductions to life. Combined with the original arched leaded-glass windows and a restored 17th-century ceiling and staircase, it’s a pretty perfect combination of past and present. So is the menu. Chef Sander Looren de Jong explains: ‘Our fertile agricultural land is world-renowned and we use the best local, organic products to recreate traditional Dutch dishes with a modern twist.’ We sampled shore crab bisque with buttermilk foam and chive butter, and aged Gouda croquettes with pickled cavolo nero, beets and crème cru (both €9.50), Veluwe duck breast (€13.50), and a tompouce pastry with cinnamon crème chiboust and apple syrup (€9.50). The home-grown focus also extends to the drinks menu. In a city where authentic yet interesting ‘Dutch food’ experiences are a rare find, this is a must-visit.

eating out

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45 trendy THE POOL The Student Hotel’s restaurant was inspired by the Mediterranean, ‘an enormous pool surrounded by a food-loving community’. We recommend the charred octopus skewers with grilled veg, pimento oil and Maldon salt ( 9), slow-cooked pork cheeks with Port sauce and apple compote ( 11) and the ‘Power Drill’ cocktail ( 9), an Old Fashioned with Diplomatico rum, Aztec chocolate bitters and orange. Okay, so not everything’s going swimmingly yet (the service is a little uneven, for one thing), but we’re confident even those not on a student budget would enjoy a paddle in this pool.

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Wibautstraat 131-A www.thepoolrestaurant.com

critic’s choice LIBRIJE’S ZUSJE

ocated on the lower ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, with views of the manicured courtyard garden, the décor of ‘Librije’s Sister’ is as understated as Sidney Schutte’s food is contemporary and bright. The Executive Chef, who worked with 3-starred De Librije’s Jonnie Boer for a decade, recreates that famous Zwolle institution’s signature dishes, but also shows off his own light touch, developed during his time in Hong Kong. ‘I cook in the style of De Librije and I have a deep love for Dutch products,’ says Schutte, ‘but I will continue to find inspiration from delicious ingredients borrowed from Asian cuisine.’ It’s an approach that’s already earned the restaurant two Michelin stars.

Herengracht 542-556 www.librijeszusje.nl

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classic JANSZ.

quick & simple TER MARSCH & CO This multi-award-winning burger bar just opened its first Amsterdam branch along the floating flower market. There’s a choice of six burgers, including ‘De Burgeresse Lady Burger’ (€14.50), winner of the ‘Best Hamburger Netherlands 2015’ at Horecava. With a fluffy brioche bun, loaded with a 150g Scottish Angus and Japanese Wagyu beef patty, truffle sauce, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and onions, this saucy lass is no lady!

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Vijzelstraat 4 www.termarschco.nl

Named after a 17th-century copper craftsman who once owned the building, there’s artisanal attention to detail in this eatery’s elegant décor, with its moss green banquettes, white marble tables and coppery accents. And in the well-executed plates of ‘beautifully simple’ yet familiar food, too, which have been created by Executive Chef Cassidy Hallman, formerly of Momofuku Ko, Bouley and Gelso & Grand in New York. Recent favourites include a terrific tuna tartare with avocado cream ( 18), an interesting salad of roast cauliflower with wild mushrooms ( 14), delicate lobster-fennel ravioli ( 32) and a sublime chocolate cake with salted caramel sauce, sour cream ice cream and almond crumble ( 7.50).

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Reestraat 8 www.janszamsterdam.com

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

ON THE MENU

Three of a kind to suit every taste. text Karin Engelbrecht

hidden restaurants hidden bars

hidden terraces

HOFTUIN

FA. SPEIJKERVET

DOOR 74

Nestled behind the Hermitage Museum and the 17th-century façades of the Protestantse Diaconie Amsterdam, is a hidden haven with a sunny terrace, healthy meals and a noble cause. One of 20 non-profits in the courtyard, Hoftuin helps the needy with jobs. The food reflects the ethos, with plenty of organic, fair trade and local ingredients, many of which are grown right there.

Hiding in the heart of OudWest is a locavore restaurant that claims to only buy meat from animals that were well-treated, and gives each ingredient the respect it deserves. Nose-to-tail eating, or using virtually the entirety of any animal (or plant) served up, has rarely tasted so good.

There’s no name outside to show that you’ve arrived at this ‘prohibition-style’ speakeasy – you have to call for the reservation and location. But behind that black door at no. 74 is a temple for liquor lovers, with retro barware, intimate booths and a tin ceiling. ‘Exclusivity’ may be a dirty word in Amsterdam’s egalitarian bar scene, but the reward’s in the creative cocktails mixed by some of the city’s best.

Nieuwe Herengracht 18 www.hoftuin.com

NELIS Walking down this small side street in the Indische Buurt, you’d never guess that there’s a hidden gem of a garden behind this sleek little restaurant. It’s just the place to tuck into unfussy crowd-pleasers, such as red beet risotto ( 15) and classic Dutch Zeeland mussels with fries ( 19) in the leafy shade.

Admiraal de Ruijterweg 79 www.speijkervet.nl

HOTEL DE GOUDFAZANT Tucked away in the former Stork industrial complex in Noord, this is no hotel, but a vast restaurant, which consistently delivers good, honest food. The greatest hits include steak tartare, risotto nero and perfect poussin, a whole rotisserie-roasted baby chicken served with rhubarb-apple compote, Roseval potatoes and green beans. It can be truly tricky to find, so take a map!

Sumatrastraat 28 www.nelisamsterdam.nl

Aambeeldstraat 10h www.hoteldegoudfazant.nl

BOERDERIJ LANGERLUST

A LA FERME

This social enterprise, set in a surprisingly pastoral part of Zuidoost, helps people with poor job prospects, such as the physically or mentally handicapped. So, in addition to simple seasonal offerings, such as house smoked salmon salad or grilled rib-eye with fennel gravy, a little patience is also on the menu here. Provincialeweg 24 www.langerlust.nl

This insider’s favourite sits in a quiet residential street in De Pijp. It will appeal to fans of French country classics (the name translates as ‘on the farm’). The hands-on service means that the chef might come to your table to explain the specials, such as baked marrow bone with crispy bacon and parsley-dusted snails, roast Bresse chicken or velvety chocolate fondant. Govert Flinckstraat 251 www.alaferme.nl

Call 06 3404 5122 www.door-74.com

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Apparently, hiding can be a mindset: ‘…the real desires of the seekers will lead us to them and they to us,’ states this centrally-based cocktail bar’s site. It may all make sense after drinking HPS’ famous fiery Walking Dead cocktail, served in a skullshaped glass by a bearded barman. Rapenburg 18 www.hpsamsterdam.com

THE BUTCHER’S SECRET KITCHEN At the back of the hip butcher’s shop-inspired burger bar, along Amsterdam’s most beloved market, lurks a clandestine speakeasy. E-mail for reservations, ring the buzzer at the silver sliding door, whisper the password, and you’re in… Albert Cuypstraat 129 www.the-butcher.com

on the menu

AUTHENTIC DUTCH CHEESE How to get your cheese on in Amsterdam

award-winning cheeses (€15 p.p.). Discover the traditional Dutch cheese making process and sample the wares with beer or wine at the De Proefzolder Cheese Tasting by Henri Willig (€9.95 p.p.), or learn how one of the Netherlands’ biggest commercial brands makes its popular cheese at the Old Amsterdam Cheese Tasting (€22.50 p.p.). REYPENAER CHEESE TASTING ROOM Singel 182 www.reypenaercheese.com DE PROEFZOLDER BY HENRI WILLIG AT CHEESE & MORE Reguliersbreestraat 24 www.proefzolder.nl OLD AMSTERDAM CHEESE TASTING Damrak 62 www.oldamsterdamcheesestore.com

here are those rubbery yellow bricks that you may think of as Dutch cheese, and then there’s the real deal. For the truest taste, head to one of Amsterdam’s world-renowned cheese shops. De Kaaskamer (Runstraat 7) is crammed with quality cheese, including must-try Le Petit Doruvael, an ooey-gooey local washed rind cheese. L’Amuse (Olympiaplein 111), offers over 400 cheeses, including Boeren Goudse Oplegkaas, a piquant and crumbly four-year-old Gouda with its own Slow Food Presidium. Both shops have a generous sampling policy, but if you want to get really serious, visit the Reypenaer Tasting Room, where an expert cheese taster will teach you how to sample, appreciate and pair six

PART III EAT, DRINK & CHIC

pretty things

PRETTY THINGS Purses at the ready: these tempting stores will have you reaching for your credit card.

text Elisah Jacobs

X BANK W HOTEL

NEW IN TOWN

Like the W Hotel? Then you’ll definitely like X Bank, the new concept store of the W Hotel and artist residential X 174. This epic centre for Dutch fashion, art and design is home to a creative mix of – you guessed it – fashion, art and design, featuring works by upcoming and influential young Dutch artists.

Visitors can shop till they drop in this huge store (700m2) full of fancy stuff. From fashion for men and women (spanning ready to wear to haute couture) to product design, accessories, furniture and jewellery, you’ll find it hard to walk out empty handed – but you can also just visit this arty space if you’re in need of an inspiration boost. X Bank’s monthly pro-

grammes include several workshops, lectures and exhibitions, starting with (inter) national designers such as Nathan Azhderian, Sema Bekirovic, Mattijs van Bergen and Frank Bruggeman. Check out the website for more information. Open daily.

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Spuistraat 175 www.wamsterdam.com/xbank

fresh looks AMATØR The label of Norway-born and Amsterdam-based Eline Starink is a fashion reaction to a world dominated by primarily black ensembles. She likes to give a personal touch to dressed-up outfits, something she often missed before starting AMATØR. For SS16, the label uses soft colours like pinks and blues mixed with black, greys and jade green. Find shirt dresses, leopard-print skirts, sweatshirts and skirts, preppy jumpsuits and even a fabulous red sequin party dress. All with funny prints featuring cacti and women’s legs. The name AMATØR is dedicated to her brother Christian who was born with Down’s syndrome. According to Starink, his optimism and the beauty he sees in imperfections inspires her in her daily work.

souvenirs SPIEGEL To bring home a cherished memory of your trip, we hate to admit that Spiegel may come in second best to the new Iamsterdam store in Central Station. All products are made by Dutch designers, from Amsterdam mustard, jelly from Limburg and designs from Pols Potten, to jewellery from Mimi et Toi, kids’ gifts from AnneClaire Petit and art from Nijntje, the Netherlands’ most famous bunny. ‘Spiegel’ is named after the street where it’s located, Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, and is surrounded by plenty of art galleries.

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Runstraat 26 www.amatorcollection.com

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Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 2a www.spiegelamsterdam.com

jewellery AEVA AEVA is the jewellery brand of Amsterdam-based Anne Eva who catches the pretty details of daily life, inspiring her to design elegant silver and gold-filled bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Her pieces show the undiscovered beauty in little things which we often forget to see. Next to her own designs Anne Eva also sells other brands via her webshop, such as stylish backpacks from Mum and Co, and Noémiah. AEVA’s jewellery is for sale online and at several shops in Amsterdam such as Koko Coffee & Design and Friday Next. aeva.amsterdam

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FIRST PART UP CLOSE

kopje of credit

AMERICAN EXPRESS速 YOUR CARD FOR AMSTERDAM

Your Card is welcome across Amsterdam

WHAT’S IN STORE Fashion-forward style – for him (M) and her (F)

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text Elisah Jacobs

THE DARLING (M/F)

NINOUR (M/F)

This cute shop is like a candy store: everything you see looks irresistible – just like the name implies. Explore the racks for vintage fashion, The Darling’s own fashion label, or other cool brands and lifestyle products such as crockery, vases, drinking jars, fashion for the little ones and beautiful illustrations. And yes, cupcakes, too. Don’t forget to visit the neighbours, where you can shop for antique furniture, Moroccan argan oil, fashion made of felt and other fancy stuff.

You’ll find the ‘cutest, nicest and funkiest stuff’ in this shop/deli/catering service, like scented candles from Glyk Company, glasses from Household Warehouse, T-shirts from Yunit and jewellery from TinyTinyGold. But there’s also food: all vegetarian, refined-sugar-free and locally made. We love the roll layered with homemade parsley hummus, grilled veggies and goat cheese with truffle oil.

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Hannie Dankbaarpassage 19 www.thedarlingamsterdam.nl

SALON HELEEN HÜLSMANN (F) Lanvin dresses, Prada bags, Christian Louboutin heels, Burberry trench coats and Tom Ford sunglasses with lots and lots of discounts. Still breathing after reading this? Then hurry on to the online store, or book an appointment at Heleen’s boutique to get a real feel for your new outfit. Everything in this boutique comes from the latest collections (nothing older than three years). To us, this boutique is the best hidden spot in town.

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De Lairessestraat 13b www.salonheleenhulsmann.nl

EMPORIUM OF WONDERS (M/F) It’s fun to visit this store in the East side of Amsterdam for many reasons. First of all it’s packed with different sorts of cool brands and vintage stuff. Second, there are many other things to do here than just shop: try a yoga class, book a palm-reading session, or have a cup of coffee and enjoy the relaxed vibe.

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Javastraat 137 www.facebook.com/emporiumofwonders

DE WERKWINKEL (M/F) Visiting the Artis zoo? Just head a little bit more east on the map and visit the Czaar Peterstraat, a street full of great shops. Next to Magazin, a lifestyle shop full of eco-fabulous interior accessories, De Werkwinkel is also a great spot. It’s an all-in-one shop, coffee bar and studio. Shop here for colourful artwork from Venezuelan artist Attina, beautiful ceramics of Dutch design brand Studio PS and leather bags from Van Veer. Oh, and try the homemade gingerbread for sure!

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www.dewerk-winkel.nl www.magazinamsterdam.nl

Eerste Jan Steenstraat 109 www.ninour.nl

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LOLA LUID (M/F))) This pop-up creative hub functions as a place to meet artists, writers, photographers, furniture makers and stylists to really get in touch with the neighbourhood. Join one of the workshops; the artists would love to tell you more about their work. Or enjoy the in-house theatre, follow a live radio show and visit one of the events organised in the building. This place is open until at least the end of July. Piet Mondriaanstraat 140 www.lolaluid.nl

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MISC (M/F) Like to work from an inspiring desk? Miscellaneous sells refined goods for the home and office, from stationery, travellers’ notebooks and dreamy paperweights to terrariums, frames and plant boxes for the home. Find brands such as Areawear, BL-ij, Midori, Els & Nel and TRAVELER’S company. In addition to the webshop, the brand has opened a bricks-and-mortar store in the West of Amsterdam.

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De Clercqstraat 130 www.misc-store.com

ROLEX BOUTIQUE & OMEGA BOUTIQUE (M/F) In October 2014, the first Rolex boutique in the old city centre of Amsterdam was officially opened. The fact that Gassan’s historical site was chosen for the opening of this new sales location for Rolex emphasizes the mutual passions of both brands: precision, reliability, performance, and the highest quality in service. Besides the biggest Rolex Boutique of the Benelux, Gassan also accommodates a monobrand Omega Boutique on their premises. Come in and have a look, Gassan’s expert sales staff is looking forward to welcoming you! Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 173-175 www.gassan.com

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PART IV ADVERTORIAL

STEP INTO THE WORLD OF SUPERHEROES

An exciting new exhibition that offers a first-hand experience of being a superhero opens this month in Madame Tussauds Amsterdam. MARVELLOUS Join forces with the biggest superheroes of Marvel Comics in Madame Tussauds Amsterdam. From 2 May, heroes like Captain America, Thor and Iron Man will be a permanent addition to the famous wax attraction. Guests at Madame Tussauds Amsterdam will step into an immersive universe where they can be a real hero for a day. The wax figures of the biggest Marvel superheroes are accompanied by three-dimensional sets. Do you have what it takes to lift the hammer of Thor? It won't be easy to lift this iconic 'Mjรถlnir' but in Madame Tussauds Amsterdam you can give it a shot! But be careful, before you know it, the ground will shake and burst... See if you are the chosen one! Be awed by Tony Stark's spectacular lab, and test Iron Man's incredible technologies on the huge lab screen. Nothing is what it seems! Is that Captain America over there? Grab a shield and fight against ruthless enemies side by side with the captain himself. Yes, the enemy has been defeated! Time to take a picture. With this new Marvel area, Madame Tussauds Amsterdam will take their guests' experience to a completely new level. The 3D experience is exciting for all ages and will surprise over and over again. If you have always wanted to take a selfie with the biggest superheroes of Marvel, visit Madame Tussauds Amsterdam today. Madame Tussauds Amsterdam Dam 20 www.madametussauds.nl

PART IV

THE

may & jun 2016

FESTIVALS/MUSIC/ CLUBBING/EXHIBITIONS/ STAGE/SPORTS/FAMILY/ GAY & LESBIAN

For complete listings, see www.iamsterdam.com

Before becoming the go-to symbol for the ravages of war on civilisation, Beirut enjoyed such a blossoming cultural and economic period that it was called The Paris of the Middle-East. Then came the civil war, which not only put an end to the city’s lively reputation, but also to its sense of normalcy. In Une Femme, exhibited at Huis Marseille until 5 June, Jeroen Robert Kramer, previously a war photojournalist, has chosen to turn his lens towards the daily poetry of his adoptive city, focusing on its minute beauties rather than its torn down walls and religious tensions. He creates characters such as Khiar, an elderly gentleman who never appears on camera – yet the gathered details of his existence tell a small and enigmatic human story, returning to Beirut its status of a city full of life and gentleness. The exhibition also includes a series of 35 vintage prints of Beirut before and after the civil war, taken by other eminent photographers showing a world apart; from us, but with the consequences of war, from itself too. UNTIL 5 JUNE Huis Marseille www.huismarseille.nl

UNTITLED (2014-02-22-035) © JEROEN ROBERT KRAMER

UNE FEMME

PART IV THE A-LIST

FESTIVALS & EVENTS FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Day events in Amsterdam, Het Vrije Westen is the place to be for music fans. This free event features live sets from upcoming and established Dutch acts, from singer-songwriters and rock bands to hip-hop and soul. Thur 5 May, Westergasfabriek, www.hetvrijewesten.eu

DOEK FESTIVAL Doek is an Amsterdam-based collective of renowned jazz musicians with a particular penchant for improvisation. And because VRIJLAND FESTIVAL improvisation is best done toIn 2016, the musical programgether, they regularly get together to perform – most importantly at ming features three main musical the annual Doek Festival centred stages, plus a fourth in collaboration with Disco Dolly, so expect on the Bimhuis, plus independplenty of house, techno, ‘bass ‘n’ ent venues like Zaal 100 and De beats’, plus maybe a slice of free Ruimte. cheese. until Wed 4 May, various Thur 5 May, Blijburg, locations, www.doek.org www.vrijlandfestival.nl SPRINGSNOW FESTIVAL AMSTERDAM KOOKT Every year, Amsterdam’s elm Delicious snacks, food trucks, trees scatter a blanket of blossom tasting sessions, good wine, a over the city’s streets: a phenombeer garden and cooking workenon that has come to be known shops are all in place here. But as ‘spring snow’. This celebration Amsterdam Kookt also offers of spring includes a walking route a music programme, which inpast the city’s elm highlights, exhibitions and side programmes. cludes performances by Typhoon, Sven Hammond, Rondé, Hans until Sat 21 May, various Dulfer and more. locations, www.springsnow.nl Thur 5-Sun May, REMEMBRANCE & Olympic Stadium, LIBERATION DAYS www.amsterdamkookt.nl Amsterdam joins the rest of the YUMMYA AMSTERDAM Netherlands on 4 May when Amsterdam’s premium ice rink is its citizens pause to pay their respects to the fallen soldiers of turning over its grounds to a wide variety of food trucks offering World War II and more recent culinary delights from crêpes and military conflicts and peacekeeping operations. The national wraps to Moroccan bastillas. The festival is organised by various moment of remembrance takes themes alluding to paradise, place at 20:00. Then it’s time for including ‘Garden of Eden’ and a national party on 5 May, as the ‘Adam and Eve’. crowds take to the streets to celebrate their freedom on Liberation Thur 5-Sun 8 May, Jaap Eden IJsbaan, www.yummya.nl Day. Bands and performers take to stages erected at various locaVONDELPARK OPEN AIR tions, festivals erupt across the THEATRE city, while theatres around Dam Steeped in musical and theSquare host productions directly atrical history, Amsterdam’s or indirectly linked to WWII. famous Vondelpark presents a Wed 4 & Thur 5 May, programme packed with dance, various locations, cabaret, jazz, children’s theatre, www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl stand-up comedy and all genres HEMELTJELIEF FESTIVAL of music every summer. Look out for a wide variety of entertainThis family festival steals the ment at the Open Air Theatre show every Ascension Day with each weekend. an enormous musical and theatrical line-up and plenty of events Thur 5 May-Wed 11 Sep, Vondelpark Open Air Theatre, and activities. As this year’s www.openluchttheater.nl event coincides with Liberation Day, the theme this time has a ROLLING KITCHENS freedom feel, including a special During the long holiday weekFreedom Picnic. end, hoards of mobile kitchens Thur 5 May, NDSM Wharf, descend upon the park at the www.hemeltjelieffestival.nl Westergasfabriek to create a huge HET VRIJE WESTEN open air restaurant. Food to suit every appetite is on the menu, One of the largest Liberation from fresh Italian pizza to sophisticated seafood dishes. advert Thur 12-Mon 16 May, Westergasfabriek, www.rollendekeukens.amsterdam EXPERIENCE THE

BEST ACOUSTICS IN THE WORLD concertgebouw.nl/en

MINI KWAKU SUMMER FESTIVAL Enjoy an early taste of summer at this mini event in Vondelpark. As well as live music and dance, be sure to grab a taste of exotic cuisine from the Caribbeans. Sat 14 & Sun 15 May, Vondelpark Open Air Theatre, www.openluchttheater.nl OPEN ATELIERS JORDAAN Every spring, some 60 artists working in the Jordaan neighbourhood invite visitors to take a peek behind the scenes as they throw open the doors to their

Choice festivals

OPEN GARDEN DAYS Hidden behind the stately façades of the houses along Amsterdam’s canals lie some of the city’s best kept secrets: private gardens. Look behind these impressive canal-side homes and you’ll step into a completely different world, where a quiet green oasis welcomes visitors. Few of these canal house gardens are usually open to the public, but each year on the third weekend of June, some 30 of them are accessible to visitors during the Open Garden Days. 17-19 Jun, various locations, www.opentuinendagen.nl studios. Meet the artists and view Museumplein, their work, ranging from paintwww.amsterdamartfair.nl ings and sculptures to jewellery, DIYNAMIC FESTIVAL photographs and mixed media. Sat 14-Mon 16 May, The Hamburg-based record label various locations, Diynamic heads west to pack the www.openateliersjordaan.nl park south of Amsterdam full of pulse-pounding dance beats. The VURIGE TONGEN line-up includes Vurige Tongen (‘Fiery Tongues’) is Solomun, Adriatique and a festival over the Whitsun weekKollektiv Turmstrasse. end in the alternative arts village Fri 27 May, Amsterdamse Bos, of Ruigoord. What began as a www.diynamic-festival.com poetry festival (hence the ‘fiery 909 FESTIVAL tongues’ of the title) has grown to become a fully-fledged arts fesThe 909 Festival is all about sun tival, including music, children’s and beats, promising a full day theatre and visual art. of the world’s best techno in the Sat 14-Tue 17 May, Ruigoord, park in Amstelveen. DJs Jeff www.ruigoord.nl Mills and Speedy J headline. Sat 28 May, Amsterdamse Bos, FILMS WITH A VIEW – ww.909.nl SUMMER SCREENINGS LONDON CALLING Promising programming that’s a mix between effortlessly master- The extra summer edition of this ful cult classics, arthouse gems mini music festival has widened and world cinema, snuggle up on its brief with four acts from a beanbag or with a blanket and Australia. Royal Headache are enjoy an open air movie. every reminiscent of Aussie pub punk. Tue from 17 May, Pllek, www. Methyl Ethel make psych-rock pllek.nl comparable to Tame Impala while Slum Sociable mix lo-fi inPARK AM SEE die and soulful, RnB. Finally, Ben Berlin-based club Watergate, Forbes aka Banff creates spacious Amsterdam electro event collecguitar pop. tive Chasing the Hihat and music Sat 28 May, Paradiso, www. magazine Deep House Amsterlondoncalling.nl dam present an enormous dance KUNSTRAI music festival in a serene setting. Sat 21 May, De Oeverlanden, The longest-running art fair in www.parkamsee.com the Netherlands offers art lovers the chance to get their hands on GOOD HAIR FESTIVAL the latest and greatest Explore the world of hair at this Wed 1-Sun 5 Jun, RAI Amsterstylish do in the Tropenmuseum. dam, www.kunstrai.nl Whether you want a futuristic AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR Japanese look, want to learn more about natural hair trends The festival mirrors the diversity or are just obsessed by glamour, of today’s electronic music scene you can meet the experts and find rather than being limited to just new inspiration. one genre. Expect a versatile fesSun 22 May, Tropenmuseum, tival, with deep house, dubstep, www.tropenmuseum.nl electro, tech house and techno. Sat 4 & Sun 5 Jun, AMSTERDAM ART FAIR Gaasperpark, The Amsterdam Art Fair aims to www.amsterdamopenair.nl be inclusive, making both weathHOLLAND FESTIVAL ered art connoisseurs and fledgling collectors feel welcome. This leading international Wed 25-Sun 29 May, performance arts festival pro-

vides Dutch and international theatregoers with a survey of the best and most widely-acclaimed performance pieces from around the world – plus a bunch of world premieres. The festival offers a heady mix of theatre, music, dance, opera, film and visual arts, as well as Western and non-Western performances. Sat 4-Sun 26 Jun, various locations, www.hollandfestival.nl/en THE BACCHUS WINE FESTIVAL The Bacchus Wijnfestival is set to present more than 250 wines from all around the world, in combination with plenty of catering, DJs and live music. Fri 10-Sun 12, Fri 17-Sun 19 Jun, Amsterdamse Bos, www.bacchuswijnfestival.nl URBAN PHOTO RACE Join fellow shutterbugs for this fun competition that sends participants dashing to various checkpoints located throughout the city to snap photos of various people, places and things. Just remember to register on the race’s website beforehand. Sat 11 Jun, various locations, www.urbanphotorace.com/ams ITS FESTIVAL The International Theatre School Festival brings the best of new theatrical talent to stages at theatres across Amsterdam every year, giving the latest batch of home-grown and international theatre graduates a chance to showcase their talents in front of a wide audience of theatre fans, casting agencies, artistic directors and the press. Wed 22-Thur 30 Jun, various locations, www.itsfestivalamsterdam.com WICKED JAZZ SOUNDS FESTIVAL The Wicked Jazz Sounds crew have made a name for themselves over the past decade, putting on blistering parties that mix jazz and electronics with a party vibe. Now they’re stepping up to host a complete festival, showcasing the best of jazz, hip-hop, soul and funk. Sat 25 Jun, NDSM Wharf, www. wickedjazzsoundsfestival.com AWAKENINGS FESTIVAL Awakenings is often already billed as one of world’s largest outdoor techno festivals yet it just keeps growing! The festival kicks off its annual weekender edition out in the countryside with more than 100 international acts and DJs spread over areas representing all aspects of the techno scene. Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jun, Spaarnwoude, www.awakeningsfestival.nl WESTWAARTS A collaboration between Podium Mozaïek and the Amsterdam District of West, this diverse cultural event provides a host of music, theatre, dance, cabaret and circus fun for the entire family, with plenty of surprises thrown in along the way. Sat 25 & Sun 26 Jun, Erasmuspark, www.westwaarts.com

may & jun 2016

CLUBBING & NIGHTLIFE CLUBBING

Dave the Drummer Sat 7 May, Radion, 23:00, €12

FREEDOM OPEN AIR FESTIVAL Techno is the keyword at this Liberation Day celebration event. International headliners are Perc & Truss supported by JP Enfant, Clouds, Rod & Tripeo, Haeken and Ringo (live). Thur 5 May, Navaritaweg 48, 12:00-23:00

HOTFLUSH Carl Craig, the genius of the socalled second wave of Detroit Techno, headlines tonight. From the very start of the 1990s, Craig started releasing his abstract tracks from the eerie releases under his BFC moniker to the more sexy and dancefloor-orientated Paper Clip People output. Also playing are Hotflush label boss Scuba – who’s known for his techno approach to bass music – and Dekmantel bosses Casper Tielrooij and Thomas Martojo. Sat 14 May, De Marktkantine, 23:00-05:00, €15

MR SCRUFF A solo DJ set, by the man who once had a house hit based on a wonderful jazz sample by a homeless street busker. Check out that one song which you will definitely hear tonight; it’s called ‘Get A Move On’. Sat 21 May, De Marktkantine, 23:00-05:00, €12.50

music on Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder imprint. Support comes from Detroit-techno-influenced DJ duo Wolff and Mittendorff. Fri 27 May, De School, 23:00, €15 LIGHTHOUSE Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy has combined radio DJ-ing, playing out in clubs and remixing over

Choice clubbing

VRIJLAND FESTIVAL An eclectic mix of excellent music on this artificial beach in Amsterdam’s east, facing the beautiful village of Durgerdam. From the UK comes jazzy, unpigonholeable and witty ENCORE bass producer Swindle. Other You may not know his face, highlights include one of Berlin’s but you will certainly know his finest DJs Mr Ties, Ireland’s tunes. Today’s headliner, DJ Detroit techno producer, Space Mustard, is the name behind Dimension Controller, techno so many urban hits of today jocks Marcel Mengler, as well as highly regarded Dutch language including tunes for Wiz Khalifa, hip-hop formation Zwart Licht. Big Sean, Kid Ink, Tinashe, Ty Dolla Sign, French Montana Thur 5 May, Blijburg, 12:00and many others. 23:00 Sat 14 May, Melkweg, 00:00NGHTDVSN 05:00, €10 A night of techno with DJs Alan DE SCHOOL RADION WEEKENDER Fitzpatrick, Agents of Time and Glasgow’s Optimo is set to make Monoloc. Radion is up to their fifth weekender – the club won’t shut beyour Sunday special with one Fri 6 May, De Marktkantine, tween the evening of Friday 13 and the afternoon of Sunday of his signature eclectic party 22:00, €19 15 May. Expect techno and house to be the main driving mumixes. sical forces. Party organisations The Bunker New York, Fade CULTURE OF SOULS Sun 15 May, De School, 21:00, Blank, Midnight and BANLIEUE deliver the DJs, including The €15 One of Northern England’s Black Madonna, a DJ with a genuine leftist political view on most prominent remixers (JazSOMETHING HAPPENING zanova, Bob Sinclair, Omar, dance music. SOMEWHERE Henri Mancini and many Fri 13-Sun 15 May, Radion, starts Fri 13 May, 23:00, €15 DJ Harvey offers a combinaothers), Atjazz gives a rare DJ tion of superhero energy and performance. Expect down-tosublime musical taste. He plays mid-tempo beats that work on disco and US Garage with a the mind as much as they do on punk attitude. Also spinning are your footwork. Red Light Radio head honcho Fri 6 May, Canvas, 23:00, €12 Orpheu De Wizard and former DE SCHOOL Trouw resident Nuño dos Santos. A delicious night out. Lena Willikens, resident at Sun 15 May, De School, 21:00the Salon Des Amateurs club 05:00, €15 in Düsseldorf, plays abstract mid-tempo electronic weirdness NIKS HARDLEERS with lots of psychedelic and ethA night of aggressive breaknic influences. Also on the bill beats, jungle and breakcore is Interstellar Funk (Rush Hour featuring performances by Bong Records). DE SCHOOL STRANGE SOUNDS FROM Ra, Blobby, Exabyss, Sinister Fri 6 May, De School, 23:00, €15 BEYOND Alina Astrova, aka Inga Souls and others. Copeland, was part of one One of the nicest festivals of DUB EXPLORATIONS Fri 20 May, Undercurrent, of the most exciting musical the summer, this newcomer 22:00-05:00, €20 A night of low frequency UKstyle club music headlined by duos of the noughties going has a small but tight and adDE SCHOOL Hatcha, who previously released under the name of Hype venturous line-up, including Hunee, the rising star who’s on classic dubstep labels such Williams, together with Syrian wedding music cult become well known for his B2B as Tempa and Planet Mu. Plus Dean Blunt. The quality of hero Omar Souleyman; BBC sets with Rush Hour’s Antal DJs FLeCK, Twilight Circus and Copeland’s music after the 6’s jazz, house and afro jock Heitlager and his excellent deSun Collective. group’s break-up is just as Gilles Peterson; Chicago’s but album Hunch Music headSat 7 May, OT301, 23:00strong and exciting: excelcrazy DJ Traxx; ethno-acid lines tonight. Expect to party to 05:00, €12 the best of leftfield disco music. lent crisp beats, intense bass outfit Acid Arab; the wicked DE SCHOOL Fri 20 May, De School, 23:00, lines and her own serene Awesome Tapes from Africa; €15 Expect an über-funky house vocals. and many more. party with tunes by San Soda Thur 23 June, De School, Sat 23 Apr, Radion, 21:30AMSTERDAM BEAT CLUB from Belgium and local jock of 20:00, €12 07:00, €23 Clubbing does not necessarily Trouw-fame Elias Mazian. Sat 7 May, De School, 23:00, €15 equate club music; DJs Ir VerDE SCHOOL meulen and Asnavoura play the course of her long career. MORGENAVOND funk soul, rock ‘n’ roll, popcorn Having worked with people as Be one of the first to see a live and chansons. diverse as Gary Lucas and UK Esa Williams blends house, performance by Hyperdub’s Sat 21 May, De Nieuwe Anita, house legend Ashly Beedly, it’s jazz and complex rhythms in Canadian signing Jessy Lanza. 20:00-01:45, €7.50 hardly a surprise that her DJ his DJ mixes. Stream his 037 Lanza blends superfast elecsets are wildly diverse. Dekmantel mix and you’ll tronic rhythms with calm pop DE SCHOOL Fri 27 May, Canvas, 23:00, €12 get a good idea of what we’re melodies. German Detroit-style techno talking about. Thur 26 May, De School, 23:00, NEXT MONDAY’S artist Palms Trax, plus well Sat 7 May, Canvas, 23:00, €12 €15 HANGOVER respected local house and techMOUSTACHE RECORDS DE SCHOOL no DJs Tom Trago and Carlos Don’t say you haven’t been Valdes. warned by the organisation. Lots of sweaty underground Martyn’s been rocking the Sat 21 May, De School, 23:00, House and deephouse by DJs electro, italo disco and techno post-dubstep scene for nearly €15 Dauwd, Some Chemistry and with David Vunk, 69DB and ten years now, releasing his lush

Pional (live). Sat 28 May, De Marktkantine, 22:00, €14 DE SCHOOL Japanese experimental producer Wata Igarashi spins his favourite tunes alongside The Hague’s Makam (Dekmantel). Sat 28 May, De School, 23:00, €15 AMSTERDAM OPEN AIR Large scale dance festival in Amsterdam’s south east with lots of techno including Planetary Assault Systems live (Luke Slater), Efdemin, Tim Hoeben, Patrice Bäumel, Olivier Weiter, Aril Brikha (live), Dominik Eulberg (live) and many others. Sat 4 June & Sun 5 June, Gaasperpark, 12:00-23:00, €82.50 for both days EDIT FESTIVAL A new boutique festival on the over-crowded but seemingly insatiable scene with an excellent programme. We’ve done some cherry-picking for you: Acid Arab, with their psychedelic ethnic acid rhythms, the proto italo disco of the Black Devil Disco Club, much-hyped electronic newcomer Call Super, underground house and electro legend I-f, synth-pop talent Palmbomen II, and much more. Sat 11 June, Spaarnwoude, 13:00-23:00, €30 MYSTIC GARDEN FESTIVAL One of the many open air techno festivals this summer; this one is celebrating its fifth birthday with DJ sets by Luke Slater, Olivier Giacomotto, Christian Wünsch, Einmusik and most notably Fuyima Tanaka. Sat 18 June, Sloterpark, 12:0023:00, €24.50 CULTURE OF SOULS Expect disco, boogie and obscure 1980s pop from UK born DJ/producer Mark Seven who’s been calling Stockholm home for more than a decade. Fri 24 June, Canvas, 23:00, €12 NOMADS FESTIVAL One of the more impressive outdoor line-ups in the city this year with a delicious, heavy focus on classic soulful house and disco from the US; Chez Damier, Mike Huckaby, Robert Owens and Rahaan all share their respectable ages and their nationality. Other exciting (and much younger!) DJs playing are Germany’s disco freak Marcel Vogel and Amsterdam’s excellent techno DJ Carlos Valdes. Sat 25 June, Sportpark Riekerhaven, 12:00-23:00, €33.50 WICKED JAZZ SOUNDS FESTIVAL The Wicked Jazz Sounds club nights have a simple and incredibly successful formula where DJs spin while musicians sing and play brass instruments. With DJs Phil Horneman, Lucas Benjamin, D-Rok plus Susanne Alt on sax and Dutch rapper Typhoon with his super funky full live band. Sat 25 June, NDSM Amsterdam, 12:00-23:00, €33.50

PART IV THE A-LIST

MUSIC/POP & JAZZ POP & JAZZ JEFF LYNNE’S ELO The lead singer and composer of the Electric Light Orchestra, the prog-rocker has kept the ELO flag flying for more than 40 years. In 2015 the band released Alone in the Universe, their first album in 14 years. Sun 1 May, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, €64

reached such dizzying Billboard heights but, as often the case, matured with experience. Her album of last year, Liberman, is folky, personal and delicate. Sun 8 May, Melkweg, 19:00, €22

Choice pop & jazz

BASIA BULAT Basia Bulat is a Canadian folk singer with a penchant for the autoharp, as well as the piano and guitar. Her strong yet warbling voice filled the Royal TheBIG WHITE atre Carré last year in support of Sufjan Stevens. This year she From Sydney, Australia, Big White, with their spacious, clean returns to Paradiso with a brand new album, Good Advice, and a guitars and simple melodies recall great Aussie indie pop acts bright, upbeat Motown pop feel. Sun 8 May, Paradiso, 20:00, such as The Go-Betweens and ANDREW BIRD €13 The Triffids as well as The Cure. They visit off the back of a sucAndrew Bird never settles. The multi-instrumentalist keeps QUANTIC cessful SXSW jaunt and debut busy both in the studio, with records regularly dropping, and British jazz, Latin and funk album Teenage Dreams. on stage where he can be found switching instruments, loopfusionists Quantic, led by Will Tues 3 May, De School, 20:30, ing sounds and constructing great walls of baroque pop and Holland, come to the North Sea €8 indie rock. Even in a full-band situation, you’ll still spot him rapJazz Club off the back of last idly swapping guitars out for violin or glockenspiel. His latest THE DANDY WARHOLS year’s album A New Constelrecord Are You Serious? is possibly his most accessible to date, lation. Expect very danceable Indie rock stalwarts from Porttunes from his extensive cataland, The Dandy Warhols are featuring a duet with Fiona Apple as its centrepiece. into their third decade and on to logue – Holland has produced 18 Fri 6 May, Paradiso, 20:00, €25 albums since 2001. their tenth album Distortland. Tues 10 May, North Sea Jazz Having tackled shoegaze, tinges Club, 21:00, €20 of country and psych-pop, it’s always interesting to hear where LUKA BLOOM The Dandies land next. He’s been described as an Fri 6 May, Melkweg, 19:00, €23 old-fashioned Irish bard that GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS sings about modern life. Bloom’s distinctive voice and lyrics are Befitting their pleasantly twee name, Great Lake Swimmers are enchanting and authentic. Over the years he’s performed some Canadian folk rockers with lush pretty majestic gigs in this city, interplay between guitars, viobut tonight’s church setting may lins and soft vocals by singerbe one of the most intimate. songwriter Tony Dekker. In the Wed 11 May, Waalse Kerk, vein of Neil Young and Nick ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF TANYA TAGAQ 20:00, €22.50 Drake, their song titles include ‘A Jukebox in a Desert of Snow’, This Swedish artist is most Canadian singer Tanya Tagaq TRIBUTE2BOBMARLEY BY ‘Something Like A Storm’ and at home behind the church has worked alongside fellow ROOTSRIDERS ‘Ballad of a Fisherman’s Wife’. organ, embracing both vocal explorers Mike Patton Dutch-Caribbean reggae outfit You get the idea. its ethereal sound and full and Björk. Her self-taught Rootsriders pay tribute to the Sat 7 May, Sugar Factory, body-shaking power to throat singing and Inuit herlegend of Bob Marley on the 20:00, €15 come up with a fresh take itage, combined with a love 40th anniversary of Bob’s RasJAZZ ORCHESTRA OF THE taman Vibration album. It’s now on rock and metal. Even of jazz and metal make for an CONCERTGEBOUW been ten years since the group in its heaviest moments, eclectic, experimental sound. Local favourites, the prestigious first hit the road with their Tribthere’s an intense prettiness In 2014, her album Animism ute2BobMarley shows. Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgeto her aural landscapes, won the Polaris Music Prize, Wed 11 May, Melkweg, 20:00, bouw, led by Rob Hursting, play with Von Hausswolff’s vocals as Canada’s album of the €17.50 the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ. The reaching for Kate Bush at year. Opening with a vivid band is joined by duelling clarDAVE LIEBMAN & RICHIE times. Check out her latest cover of the Pixies’ Caribou, inet players Magnus Lindgren BEIRACH DUO and Joris Roelofs performing record The Miraculous for the record quickly heads The improvising duo of saxoriginal compositions. inspiration, but this is music off into more experimental ophonist Dave Liebman and Sun 8 May, Muziekgebouw aan you'll want to feel wash territories, but is all the more pianist Richie Beirach have been ’t IJ, 20:15, €27.50 over you. enthralling for it. playing together for more than Sat 14 May, Bitterzoet, 21:00, Mon 20 Jun, Bimhuis, 20:30, VANESSA CARLTON 50 years when not performing €12.50 €23 in the bands of Miles Davis and Pop pianist Carlton struck Stan Getz respectively. success with her first twinkling Thur 12 May, Bimhuis, 20:30, think he's sexy. from New Jersey, Southside single ‘A Thousand Miles’ back €20 Sat 14 May, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, Johnny & The Asbury Jukes in 2002. Her output since hasn’t €60 have been journeymen since advert JOSH GROBAN 1976 in the shadow of, but THE ELVIS CONCERT 2016 Multi-platinum crooner and with much respect from, Bruce innocuous heart-throb to mothThe King of Rock and Roll’s Springsteen & The E Street ers the world over, Josh Groban old tunes still pack a wallop. Band. The roster is ever-rotating got his start singing with Celine Pay your respects to the late/ with horns, piano and Southside Dion and appearing on TV show great monarch at this tribute Johnny giving it his all out front. Ally McBeal. His album of last show, which features a few of his Mon 16 May, Paradiso, 20:30, year, Stages, saw him covering former band mates. Precisely 60 €25 show tunes. years on since his hips shook the PORCHES Fri 13 May, Heineken Music world, it’s the perfect opportuHall, 20:00, €53.90 nity to bask in the hits of Elvis. Slacker pop from New York, Special guest is his former bodyPorches is Aaron Maine and ROD STEWART guard Dave Hebler, who always band. His first album, 2013’s Rock and soul legend Rod has unique stories to share. Slow Dance in the Cosmos was Stewart will bring all his classic Sat 14 May, Melkweg, 19:30, scuzzy, lackadaisical indie. Howhits as well as his new record, €30 ever this year’s Pool has a cleaner Another Country, his 29th studio sound with synths to the fore. SAT 18, MON 20 JUNE album, to this arena setting. La- SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE Tue 17 May, De School, 20:00, THE CONCERTGEBOUW ASBURY JUKES dies (or gents), don’t forget your €12 spare undies to throw if ya still A big ragged rock ‘n’ roll band WWW.ORKEST.NL

BRAHMS Symphony

EBO TAYLOR & JIMI TENOR Finland is a long way from Ghana but the Finnish saxophonist Jimi Tenor is no stranger to collaborating with Afrobeat musicians, having released records with Kabu Kabu and drummer Tony Allen. Now he teams with legendary highlife and Afrobeat composer and guitarist Ebo Taylor, 80 years young. Wed 18 May, North Sea Jazz Club, 21:00, €22 CORY HENRY: THE REVIVAL Blending gospel, soul and jazz, organist Cory Henry takes the Bimhuis to church as he recreates his live album of this year, The Revival. Henry is one cog in funk fusion outfit Snarky Puppy and has toured with Bruce Springsteen and The Roots. Thur 19 May, Bimhuis, 20:30, €20 KNEEDELUS A collaboration between jazzfunk outfit Kneebody and beat producer Daedelus led to last year’s album Kneedelus, ten tracks of hip-hop and modern jazz fusion and interplay. Released on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, it shifts between tense and jittery and sleepy and atmospheric. Thur 19 May, North Sea Jazz Club, 21:00, €19 SUUNS Montreal art rockers Suuns make effect-laden indie that moves between crackling and jagged, light and atmospheric and drenched in distortion. Last year they teamed with the Canadian-Lebanese project Jerusalem In My Heart and this year released third album Hold/Still. Fri 20 May, Melkweg, 19:30, €15 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Aussie pop-punkers 5 Seconds of Summer shot to fame after supporting One Direction across America. Now they play the Ziggo Dome off the back of their second album Sounds Good Feels Good – fist-pumping simplicity about (mild) teen rebellion. Sat 21 & Sun 22 May, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, €44 KADIM AL SAHIR An Arabic legend, Kadim Al Sahir has sold more than 100 million albums. Performing with 20-30 musicians across an array of Eastern and Western instruments, the result produced is a rich musical tapestry from the Arabic world ranging from folk, pop and Arab classical. Sun 22 May, Royal Theatre Carré, 20:00, €34 MUMFORD & SONS The British folk rock band shifted direction on last year’s Wilder Mind, their third album. Less of the barnstorming knees-up and hot licks of banjo, the new Mumford & Sons is clearly trying to be a bit more rock ‘n’ roll, like Kings of Leon. Mon 23 May, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, €45

may & jun 2016

MUSIC/POP & JAZZ/CLASSICAL

RAVEL Tzigane

Bizet

L’ Arlésienne Suite no. 1 and 2

SAT 28, MON 30 MAY THE CONCERTGEBOUW WWW.ORKEST.NL

or a Daft Punk medley. Wed 1 Jun, Heineken Music Hall, 20:00, €37.50 NELLY Go and take a ride ‘wit’ Nelly at the Melkweg. Blending hip-hop and pop perfect for the club dancefloor, Nelly has been making it ‘Hot in Herre’ since the turn of the century. When he’s not singing, or getting caught with drugs and guns on his tour bus, he’s starring in his own reality TV show Nellyville. Thur 2 Jun, Melkweg, 19:30, €32 JULIANNA BARWICK Brooklyn-based Julianna Barwick makes ethereal music, loaded with layered choral moments and looping echoey organs, heavily influenced by her religious upbringing and time spent in church. However, news surrounding new album Will suggests her sounds will darken, with more rhythm beyond the ambience. Thur 2 Jun, Paradiso, 20:00, €15 THE UNDERTONES Known for, among others, their classic pop-punk hit ‘Teenage Kicks’, Irish lads The Undertones formed in 1974, broke up in 1983 and returned 20 years later with all three chords fully intact – just without original singer Feargal Sharkey. They’ve since released Dig Yourself Deep in 2007. Wed 8 Jun, Paradiso, 20:30, €20 FINALE DUTCH JAZZ COMPETITION 2016 The grand final, the best of the best, the top brass… Check out the final of the Dutch Jazz Competition, featuring the finest music students in the country under 30 years old. Fri 10 Jun, Bimhuis, 20:00, €7.50 FLY A three-way collaboration between drummer Jeff Ballard, double bassist Larry Grenadier and sax player Mark Turner, Fly takes smoky jazz into the complex with odd time signatures and exciting interplay. Sat 11 Jun, Bimhuis, 20:30, €22

MOGWAI Seventy years after the devastating atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Irish filmmaker Mark Cousins teamed up with Scottish post-rock band Mogwai to make Atomic, Living in Dread and Promise. The CALEFAX result is a stunning combination Dutch reed quintet, Calefax of film, installation and live perperform the late great Duke formance, showing how nuclear Ellington’s Such Sweet Thunder, power has changed the world. a classically-oriented suite of 12 Sat 11 Jun, Muziekgebouw aan pieces inspired by the life of Wil’t IJ, 20:30, €23-€28 liam Shakespeare. AAA: POP ART Wed 1 Jun, Bimhuis, 20:30, €25 This Holland Festival perforPENTATONIX mance themed ‘pop-art’ will see This pop a cappella group won American electronic pop act Son US show The Sing Off in 2011 Lux performing pieces together with a mix of rich harmonies, with the Royal Concertgebouw inventive vocal basslines and Orchestra. Soprano Claron Mcbeat-boxing. As well as their Fadden will even join them as a popular original, ‘Can’t Sleep vocal guest. Love’, they love a good cover Thur 16 & Fri 17 Jun, Royal tune like Major Lazer’s ‘Lean On’ Concertgebouw, 20:15, €23-€47

LITTLE MIX Safar Nord-Sud is a celebration of Morocco’s diverse music and Since winning Britain’s The X culture. The Gnawa Oulad Sidi Factor in 2011, these four girls Ensemble will first perform their have toured the world with style of West African polyrhyththeir polished and packaged mic blues and mystical music pop sound. The name Little Mix before teaming up with the Amreflects the very few changes sterdam Andalusian Orchestra, Simon Cowell allows to his forfor a Malhoun performance – a mula. See also: One Direction fusion style of sung poetry presand Same Difference. ent in both traditions. Thur 16 Jun, Heineken Music Fri 24 Jun, De Meervaart, Hall, 20:00, €36 21:15, €35 RIHANNA One of the biggest names in the HOLLAND FESTIVAL PROMS pop world today, the Barbadian This epic ‘mini festival’ will offer classical aficionados and newmixes R&B, pop and dancehall bies alike 12 straight hours of across all her records. She returns to the Netherlands for a gi- music and magic. Unlike typical Concertgebouw performances, gantic stadium show in support this one will provide a promeof new album Anti and sweaty nade-style experience without and Patwa-tinged single ‘Work’. any chairs on the main floor Fri 17 Jun, Amsterdam Arena, of the world-famous concert 19:00, €39 hall. The line-up veers from AFRICA EXPRESS PRESENTS spine-tingling classical greats The Syrian National Orchestra like the Kronos Quartet through for Arabic Music, led by conduc- to American singer-songwriter Ben Folds who’ll be joined by tor Issam Rafea, first played with yMusic for extra symphonic Blur frontman Damon Albarn at punch. Check out the Holland the Damascus Opera House in Festival’s website for the con2008, and they later toured with Gorillaz too. This Holland Fes- cert’s full schedule and don't forget to take along some suitably tival concert sees its musicians, festive flags. travelling from both inside and Sat 25 Jun, Royal Concertgeoutside Syria, to reunite for an bouw, 15:00, €10-€125 orchestral performance alongside Albarn and other guests. ZZ TOP Wed 22 Jun, Royal Theatre Carré, 20:00, waiting list only Blues rock legends ZZ Top bring their blistering guitars and bulky COLDPLAY beards to the Heineken Music Hall for a little boogie-woogie Seven albums into a career that’s on their 2016 Hell Raisers Tour. evolved from sullen guitar pop Bring your ear-plugs. to euphoric dance tunes, Chris Mon 27 Jun, Heineken Music Martin and his Coldplay chums Hall, 20:00, €59 are headed back out on the road in support of newest album A KONRAD KOSELLECK BIG Head Full of Dreams. BAND Thur 23 & Fri 24 Jun, AmsterAn accomplished jazz pianist dam ArenA, 18:45, sold out and graduate of both Hilversum SAFAR NORD-SUD and Amsterdam conservatories, As part of the Holland Festival, Konrad Koselleck brings his pas-

Choice classical

FREDDIE GIBBS in 1990. This year’s Everything at Once retains Travis’ contemIndiana isn’t known for it’s porary, acoustic-led musings hip-hop but Freddie Gibbs has with Fran Healy’s smooth vocals defied a lack of inertia to burst out front. onto the US rap scene with Fri 27 May, Melkweg, 20:30, a sharp tongue and eclectic €25 conspirators on more than ten mixtapes and three official alLONDON CALLING bums, including the most recent The extra summer edition of this 'Shadow of a Doubt,' released mini music festival has widened late last year. its brief with four acts from Tue 24 May, Melkweg, 19:00, Australia. Royal Headache are €17 reminiscent of Aussie pub punk. BRYAN ADAMS Methyl Ethel make psych-rock comparable to Tame Impala Bryan Adams shows no signs of while Slum Sociable mix lo-fi slowing up. The Canadian tours Europe in support of his 2015 al- indie and soulful, RnB. Finally, Ben Forbes aka Banff creates bum Get Up! which leans heavily spacious guitar pop. on upbeat olde timey rock ‘n’ roll Sat 28 May, Paradiso, 18:00, and follows just a year after pre€20 vious effort, Tracks of My Years, a covers record. LEO GENOVESE TRIO Tue 24 May, Ziggo Dome, Blending jazz and Latin seam20:00, €39 lessly, Argentinean pianist Leo THE COMMON LINNETS Genovese brings his trio to the A 2014 Eurovision podium fin- Bimhuis. He regularly performs with bassist-singer Esperanza ish for the Dutch act who play Spalding but here will be joined country and Americana, The by bass player Demian Cabaud Common Linnets were created and drummer Francisco Mela. to have a rotating line-up. CurSat 28 May, Bimhuis, 20:30, rently however original member €20 Ilse DeLange remains leader. Their second album II reached GARBAGE number one on the Dutch Following a successful reunion charts. in 2012 and a celebration of 20 Tue 24 May, Theatre Carre, years of Garbage at the end of 20:00, €24.50 2015, the American-Scottish pop THE HOUSE OF LOVE group led by Shirley Manson are back with another album of Coming out of the inrock, electronics and sharp pop. die-shoegaze scene of 1980s New album Strange Little Birds London and inspired by The is out at the start of June, but Jesus & Mary Chain, House of you can get a sneak peek at its Love recorded four albums until tracks in this club show. their break up in 1993. They reunited ten years later, putting Mon 30 May, Paradiso, 20:30, €39 out Days Run Away in 2005 and She Paints Words in Red ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER in 2013. A singer-songwriter and one Thur 26 May, Paradiso, 20:30, half of The Fiery Furnaces with €20 brother Matthew, Eleanor FriedBOMBINO berger’s solo work is a mellower, A desert blues guitarist, Bombi- less psychedelic affair. Her new album New New recalls 1970s no’s playing is jagged, syncopatWest Coast rock. ed and hugely evocative of the West Africa he’s from, with equal Tue 31 May, Bitterzoet, 21:00, €12.50 lashings of Hendrix. He’s recorded with Dan Auerbach of The ADELE Black Keys, and new album Azel is produced by David Longstreth The biggest pop star of 2015 and probably also 2016 is returning of Dirty Projectors. to Amsterdam. When first startFri 27 May, Melkweg, 19:30, ing out, she performed a notable €20 club show at Paradiso, following TRAVIS the release of her debut album 19. These days, after the major The Scottish indie band rose international success of 21 and to fame amid the post-Britpop now 25, there's simply no venue sound beside Coldplay and big enough to satisfy the Keane, despite getting together demand for tickets. advert Wed 1, Fri 3, Sat 4, Mon 6 Jun, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, sold out

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: PEACE & WAR Both the terrors of war and the elation felt when it comes to an end have inspired great music. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra explores this with two starkly contrasting pieces: Händel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, which was written in London for King George to celebrate the end of war, and Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony, composed during World War II. Hartmut Haenchen conducts. Sat 21, Sun 22 & Tue 24 May, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, Sun 14:15, €20- 49

PART IV THE A-LIST

MUSIC/CLASSICAL sion, energy and humour to the fore as bandleader of the Konrad Koselleck Big Band. Mon 27 Jun, Bimhuis, 20:30, €13

Sufi poet RÐbi‘a al-‘Adawiyya and the Egyptian poet Abdallah Ghoneem. Fri 6 May, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20:15, €29.50

Choice classical

Shostakovich Hartmut Haenchen

SAT 21, SUN 22, TUE 24 MAY

THE CONCERTGEBOUW WWW.ORKEST.NL

ERARD ENSEMBLE – UNE SOIRÉE MUSICALE The Erard Ensemble, known for their light, transparent sound played on period instruments, perform Debussy’s two piano sonatas, as well as the Sonatine by Ravel and Alexis de Castillon’s piano quartet. Tue 17 May, Amstelkerk, 20:15, €19.50

CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA – PROKOFIEV + BEETHOVEN The Concertgebouw Orchestra plays Prokofiev’s monumental Sixth Symphony and Beethoven’s Viola Concerto in C. A monumental elegy written as a reaction to World War II, the Sixth Symphony is one of Prokofiev’s most sombre works, mourning the tragedy of the war instead of celebrating victory. Valery

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – FINAL FANTASY CLASSICAL Gaming culture hits the concert halls as the Netherlands PhilharTHE NETHERLANDS PHILmonic Orchestra performs tunes HARMONIC ORCHESTRA from Final Fantasy, composed ENSEMBLE – REMEMBRANCE by Nobuo Uematsu and Jonne DAY CONCERT Valtonen, in arrangements for orchestra. Game soundtracks As the Netherlands marks Rehave come a long way since the membrance Day, an ensemble ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEM8-bit Tetris sound. comprised of members of the PORAIN & IRCAM – Sat 7 May, Royal ConcertgeNetherlands Philharmonic OrLE ENCANTADAS O LE bouw, 20:15, €20-€34 chestra pays tribute with music AVVENTURE NEL MARE by Shostakovich and Prokofiev, DELLE MERAVIGLIE POLO DE HAAS accompanied by authentic film images. Influenced by the Jewish Pianist Polo de Haas presents a Le Encantadas is a new work diaspora, European music had programme focusing on the lowby Austrian composer Olga er regions of sound, with bass been full of sounds from Jewish Neuwirth, who is seen as one saxophonist Leo van Oostrom folk culture for centuries. Those of today’s most important playing a composition by Arsounds are present in works by musical innovators. It is ingentinian composer Horacio both Shostakovich and Prokofspired by Herman Melville’s Vaggione and Tjeerd Oosteniev, who dared to defy anti-Semdescriptions of the Galapagos dorp improvising on his tuba. itism in the Soviet Union with After the intermission, it’s time their compositions. Islands (formerly known as Wed 4 May, Muziekgebouw aan for Brahms’ Hungarian Dances Encantadas) and the sounds in a special arrangement for six ’t IJ, 21:00, €29.50 of Venice – the city of islands; contrabasses. the performance is set up REMEMBRANCE DAY Sat 7 May, Royal Concertgeaccordingly, with the musicians CONCERT bouw, 20:15, €28.50 placed like islands in the open For the Royal Concertgebouw’s NIEUW ENSEMBLE space. annual Remembrance Day It’s three generations of Dutch concert, Ludwig, a collective of Sat 18 Jun, Westergasfabriek, composers tonight as the enmusicians and creative thinkers, 20:30, €33 semble performs music by Theo perform Mozart’s Maurerische Loevendie (born 1930), Joey Trauermusik, Schubert’s String AMSTERDAM SINFONIETTA – Roukens and Wilbert Bulsink Quartet in C and the cantata Ich CHOPIN IN BOHEMIA (both born 1982), all of whom hatte viel Bekümmernis by Bach incorporate jazz, pop and Afalongside a screening of a film The Georgian pianist Khatia rican influences, and the more about Holocaust survivor Jules Buniatishvili makes her debut serious-minded Ghaf by Klaas Schelvis, in which he talks about appearance with Amsterdam de Vries (born 1944), which his time at the concentration Sinfonietta, playing Chopin’s straddles the line between art camp Sobibor and how music Piano Concerto no. 2 – one of the installation and composition. helped him there. highlights of the romantic piano Thur 12 May, Muziekgebouw Wed 4 May, Royal Concertgecanon. Emphasising Chopin’s aan ’t IJ, 20:15, €29.50 bouw, 21:15, €15 love for and influence on music from Bohemia, the concerto is JERUSALEM QUARTET ZEFIRO TORNA + framed by works by three BoheVOCALCONSORT BERLIN – The renowned Israeli quartet mian composers: DvoÐák, ErTHE ALLEGORY OF DESIRE perform DvoÐák's American win Schulhoff and Pavel Haas. String Quartet and The Belgian ensemble Zefiro Wed 18 May, Muziekgebouw Bartók's String Quartet no. 6, Torna teams up with Vocalconaan ’t IJ, 20:15, €36 both of which contain sort Berlin and singer Ghalia LUNCH CONCERT elements of folk music, plus Benali in an exploration of the Beethoven's String Quartet Old Testament’s Song of Songs Free monthly performance in no. 6. and the influence its mix of collaboration with the Nationaal Sat 14 May, Muziekgebouw aan religious devotion and erotic Muziekinstrumenten Fonds. ’t IJ, 20:15, €36 sensuality has had on music Thur 18 May, Muziekgebouw and literature from East and aan ’t IJ, 12:30, free BUDAPEST FESTIVAL West. The programme includes NIEUW AMSTERDAMS PEIL works by Hildegard von Bingen, ORCHESTRA & COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT – MOZART & GERRIE DE VRIES – UWE Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, REQUIEM LEIPE MASTDRAMNIS Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Conducted by Iván Fischer, the Tonight sees the world premiere Christian Bach and others, as orchestra and choir perform well as traditional and modern of Rob Zuidam’s newest opera, Mozart’s heart-rending, yet Arabic songs set to words by the titled Uwe leipe mastdramnis. monumental requiem, accomCommissioned by the Muziekadvert panied by other works he com- gebouw, Zuidam wrote this new posed in the last year of his life: opera for mezzo-soprano Gerrie the aria Per questa bella mano de Vries and the ensemble and the clarinet concerto in A. Nieuw Amsterdams Peil. Tue 17 May, Royal ConcertgeThur 19 May, Muziekgebouw bouw, 20:15, €32-€84 aan ’t IJ, 20:15, €29.50

KRONOS QUARTET The world-renowned Kronos Quartet, artists in residence at this year’s Holland Festival, perform a programme including works by Donnacha Dennehy and Laurie Anderson, as well as the world premiere of a new work by Yannis Kyriakides, for which the quartet joins forces with the Dutch Ragazze Quartet. In addition, Kronos play a selection of pieces from their Fifty for the Future repertoire, which comprises 50 commissions to as many composers. Thur 23 Jun, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, 20:30, €26/€31

Orchestra and violinist Gordan NikoliÐ in a performance full of French classics, with a programme including Bizet’s first and second suite from L’Arlésienne, Ravel’s famous Tzigane, Dutilleux’s Métaboles and SaintSaëns’ Introduction et rondo cappriccioso. Sat 28 & Mon 30 May, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €20-€49 BIJLMER KLASSIEK: ODE TO FANTASY Members of the Concertgebouw Orchestra play works by Schumann. Sun 29 May, Bijlmer Parktheater, 11:00, €16 MARC PANTUS & RUDOLF JANSEN – SCHUBERT’S SWAN SONG In the last of their concert series of Schubert song cycles, bass baritone Marc Pantus and pianist Rudolf Jansen perform the Swan Song, composed towards the end of Schubert’s life. Sun 29 May, Waalse Kerk, 15:00, €25 KATIA & MARIELLE LABÈQUE The piano duo perform Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps and Bernstein’s West Side Story, arranged for two pianos and percussion. Sun 29 May, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €44/€55

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – TCHAIKOVSKY + NIELSEN Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård leads the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and BAS JONGEN, ANNA the Czech violinist Josef ŠpaÐek MAGDALENA KOKITS & on this evening of contrasts, as CHEN GUANG the performed works alternate between mourning and joy, It’s an afternoon hosted by the romanticism and modernism. next generation as three young The programme begins with musicians, Dutch cellist Bas Carl Nielsen’s violin concerto, Jongen, Chinese pianist Chen followed by Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Guang and Austrian pianist Symphony and concluding in Anna Magdalena Kokits, play works by Beethoven, Schumann, From Funeral to Funfair, a piece written by composer-in-resiBrahms, Richard Strauss and dence Joey Roukens. Prokofiev. Sat 4 & Sun 5 Jun, Royal Sun 22 May, Royal ConcertgeConcertgebouw, 20:15/14:15, bouw, 14:30, €28.50/€36 €20-€49 NETHERLANDS CHAMBER CHOIR & HADEWYCH MINIS: AMSTERDAMS BACH SHAKESPEARE CONSORT – BACH TO THE FUTURE II The Netherlands Chamber Choir performs Vaughan WilThe Amsterdam Bach Conliams’ Three Shakespeare Songs sort and the chamber choir and Frank Martin’s Songs of Toonkunst Rotterdam perform Ariël – both to words from The works by Bach and homages to Tempest – as well as a new a cappella piece by Robert Zuidam, while the actress Hadewych advert Minis explores themes from the play. Tue 24 May, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €22-€35 Gergiev conducts. Thur 19 & Fri 20 May, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €30€126

IL DIVO The operatic pop group performs Latin love songs from their new album, Amor & Pasion, as well as their most popular hits. Wed 25 May, Ziggo Dome, 20:00, €49-€65 NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA & GORDAN NIKOLIC – RAVEL’S TZIGANE Marc Albrecht conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic

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STAGE the great composer by Chiel Meijering. The main part of the concert is Bach’s threepart motet for double choir, Singet dem Herrn. Sat 4 Jun, De Duif, 20:15, €20 PAUL LEWIS The internationally renowned British pianist, former pupil of Alfred Brendel, performs works by Schubert, Brahms and Liszt. Sun 5 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €38-€47.50 SOUTH NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC, NETHERLANDS CONCERT CHOIR, LUCAS AND ARTHUR JUSSEN, SIMONE LAMSMA & BARBARA KOZELJ: CHARITY CONCERT The pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen, violinist Simone Lamsma, mezzosoprano Barbara Kozelj, the South Netherlands Philharmonic and the Netherlands Concert Choir join forces for this charity concert in aid of children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. On the programme are famous works by Grieg, Mozart, Fauré, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns and Bizet. Fri 10 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €45-€75 LUNDI BLEU The string orchestra, founded in 2005 with members of the Netherlands’ best student orchestra, celebrates its tenth anniversary with a concert in Paradiso, which features guest performances by singer and pianist Ruben Hein, horn soloist Laurens Woudenberg and others. Carel den Hertog conducts. Sun 12 Jun, Paradiso, 15:00, €10 THE CREATION As part of the Holland Festival, Collegium Vocale Gent, baroque orchestra B’Rock and three soloists perform Haydn’s classical masterpiece, accompanied by a screening of a film by artist Julian Rosefeldt. Haydn’s famous oratorio is based on both the Genesis and Psalms from the Bible and on Milton’s Paradise Lost, and the film offers a fitting visual accompaniment, showing vast expanses of

desert and mountainous landscapes, in which human beings look small and insignificant. René Jacobs conducts. Mon 13 & Tue 14 Jun, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, 20:00, €30-€55

YUJA WANG The much-lauded Chinese pianist comes to the Concertgebouw for a recital of works by Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and others. Sun 19 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €46-€57

CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA & SON LUX: POP ART Pop meets classical as the Concertgebouw Orchestra teams up with pop act Son Lux and soprano Claron McFadden and traditional boundaries between ‘high-’ and ‘low-’ brow art are blissfully ignored. On the programme: American composer Charles Ives’ Three Places in New England, a piece famous for its use of musical quotation and paraphrasing; American avant-pop musician Son Lux playing several of his own pieces; three movements from Star-Child by American composer George Crumb and Andrew Norman’s contemporary composition Unstuck. Thur 16 & Fri 17 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 21:15/20:15, €23-€42.50

CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA & EMANUEL AX The pianist Emanuel Ax pays a visit to the Concertgebouw for two evenings of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Haydn, with Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto as the centrepiece of the programme. Wed 22 & Thur 23 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €25-€89

NETHERLANDS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – BRAHMS’ FOURTH SYMPHONY Marc Albrecht conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in a performances of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony; new, percussion-heavy work by Joey Roukens and Mahler’s Rücker-Lieder, sung by mezzo-soprano Alice Coote are also on the programme. Sat 18 & Mon 20 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 20:15, €20-€49 BACH ORCHESTRA OF THE NETHERLANDS – ROYAL MUSIC BY HÄNDEL & PURCELL The Bach Orchestra of the Netherlands performs Händel’s Water Music, plus arias by Händel and Purcell, with soloists Olga Zinovieva (soprano), Sytse Buwalda (countertenor) and Frank Anepool (trumpet). Pieter Jan Leusink conducts. Sat 18 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 13:30, €50-€75

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NATIONALE OPERA & BALLET MAY 11 - MAY 14

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HOLLAND FESTIVAL PROMS This epic ‘mini festival’ will offer classical aficionados and newbies alike 12 straight hours of music and magic. Unlike typical Concertgebouw performances, this one will provide a promenade-style experience without any chairs on the main floor of the world famous concert hall. The line-up veers from spine-tingling classical greats like the Kronos Quartet through to American singer-songwriter Ben Folds who’ll be joined by yMusic for extra symphonic punch. Check out the Holland Festival’s website for the concert’s full schedule and don't forget to take along some suitably festive flags. Sat 25 Jun, Royal Concertgebouw, 15:00, €10-€125 ADDRESSES Amstelkerk Amstelveld 10 www.amstelkerk.net Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3 www.bimhuis.nl Bitterzoet Spuistraat 2 www.bitterzoet.com De Duif Prinsengracht 756 www.deduif.net Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard 590 www.heineken-music-hall.nl Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A www.melkweg.nl Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ Piet Heinkade 1 www.muziekgebouw.nl North Sea Jazz Club Pazzanistraat 1 www.northseajazzclub.com Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8 www.paradiso.nl Royal Concertgebouw Concertgebouw 10 www.concertgebouw.nl Royal Theatre Carré Amstel 115 /125 https://carre.nl Sugarfactory Lijnbaansgracht 238 www.sugarfactory.nl Tolhuistuin IJpromenade 2 www.tolhuistuin.nl Ziggo Dome De Passage 100 www.ziggodome.nl

THEATRE, DANCE & COMEDY EASYLAUGHS This international comedy group performs a hilarious, hi-octane, improvised show every Friday night. There’s also an early bird show, guest performers from around the world, various formats, themes and open podiums. every Fri, Crea Café, 20:00 & 21:00, €5-€10

THE OTHER VOICE Whereas Jean Cocteau’s La voix humaine is the monologue of a woman on the phone with her former lover, Ramsey Nasr’s response sees him playing the man at the other end. What was one woman’s tragedy becomes that of a couple straining to tear themselves away from each other. Performed in Dutch; English surtitles on 12 and 19 May. Thur 12 & Thur 19 May, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, 20:00, €23

SKY THE MUSICAL THE STATE OF THE CITY This brand new 3D musical Part of the Stadsschouwburg’s tells the story of Sky, a teenage Expanding Theatre programme, girl who is confronted with the this second annual English-lankind of complex problems that guage assembly of mini-lectures can trouble many adolescents. It and talks by academics, jourfeatures music by John Ewbank nalists and other experts takes a and Marco Borsato. Perforlook at the challenges faced by mances are in Dutch but inter- Amsterdam as we move towards nationals can make use of the an uncertain future. innovative translation options. Tue 17 May, Stadsschouwburg, various dates and times in 19:30, €24.50 May & Jun, Theater AmsterLIGHT dam Tradition and modernity, THE KINDLY ONES East and West, gamelan and Belgian director Guy Cassiers, electronics all feature in this artistic director of the Antwerp abstract dance performance Toneelhuis, directs a cast of celebrating 25 years of choreoactors from Toneelgroep Amgraphic duo Leine/Roebana, sterdam and Toneelhuis in a with new live music by Indonestage adaptation of Jonathan sian composer Iwan Gunawan. Littell’s 2006 historical fiction Wed 25 May, Stadsschouwnovel about the persecution of burg, 20:30, €10-€35 Jews during World War II, as LEE NELSON – SUITED & told from the viewpoint of the BOOTED SS officer Maximilian Aue. In Dutch, with English surtitles on The British comedian Simon 26 May. Brodkin brings his cheerful alter Thur 26 May, Stadsschouwego Lee Nelson to Amsterdam. burg, 19:00, €20.50-€33 Sat 28 May, Meervaart, 20:15, €25 ANNE JIMMY CARR – This long-running production FUNNY BUSINESS explores Anne Frank’s life before her family went into hiding, Returning after his sell-out giving an impression of what shows last year, sharp-suited life was like in the annex and Jimmy Carr brings his new provides an insight into what stand-up comedy show to happened after the family was Amsterdam. Come for the witty discovered. Although this grand and incisive musings on the production is in Dutch, a dedihuman condition; stay for the cated translation system is avail- knob gags. Part of a broader NL able in multiple languages. tour, these Amsterdam shows every Sun, Theater Amsterare now sold out, but check out dam, 13:30 & 19:00, €35-€79 waiting lists or official secondary ticketing. ROMÉO ET JULIETTE Sun 29 May, Royal Theatre Sasha Waltz delivers a disCarré; Mon 30 May, DeLaMar tinctive interpretation of the Theater, from €30 timeless and universal love NINA CONTI – IN YOUR FACE story in Hector Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette. For the first time, in The award-winning English cothis Dutch premiere, the Dutch median and ventriloquist National Opera and the Dutch National Ballet share the stage in a production where opera and advert dance play equal roles. Sung in French, with English and Dutch surtitles. Sun 1 May, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, 20:00, 14:00, €20-€176 JOHN CLEESE – THE LAST TIME TO SEE ME BEFORE I DIE Catch one of the most influential figures of British comedy before it’s too late. The Monty Python legend treats his audience to anecdotes about his life and career, with questions from the audience. Mon 2 & Tue 3 May, Royal Theatre Carré, 20:00, €50-€77

THE KINDLY ONES 19, 26 MAY | SURTITLED IN ENGLISH

PART IV THE A-LIST.

STAGE creates a different show every night, improvising with the audience, her monkey puppet and her bag of tricks. The tour has enjoyed sell-out shows and rave reviews in the UK. Mon 30 May, Boom Chicago, 20:15, €31.50-€37.50 DARA O’BRIAIN The dates just keep on selling out for the popular Irish comedian and well-known face from British TV. O’Briain, who has also studied mathematics and theoretical physics, puts on ‘a masterclass in intelligent, nofrills stand-up’, says the Guardian. So it must be true. Tue 31 May, Wed 1 & Fri 3 Jun, Meervaart, 20:15, €32.50 ASH AND MONEY This Estonian film with English subtitles documents ‘the making of’ a grand-scale social experiment in hyperpopulism. Over 44 days, with interviews, press releases, poster campaigns and scandals, the film’s team got all of Estonia worked up about their new – entirely fictional – political movement. Tue 7 Jun, Frascati, 20:30, €11 CABARET CRUSADES The crusades come to life in Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s beautiful film, populated with an expressive cast of handblown Murano glass puppets. The third in a trilogy, it explores the horrors of the medieval holy wars in the Middle-East from an Arab perspective. In Arabic with English subtitles. Wed 8 & Thur 9 Jun, Frascati, 20:30, €18 THE QUEEN OF SPADES The Dutch National Opera and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perform Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. The Norwegian director Stefan Herheim, who is widely acclaimed for his unconventional opera stagings and spectacular productions, transports the work into a contemporary setting. In Russian, with Dutch and English surtitles. Various dates between Thur 9 Jun and Sun 3 Jul, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, 19:30, Sun 13:30, €18-€160 THE CORRIDOR & THE CURE This English-language chamber opera double bill of works by Harrison Birtwistle explores advert

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Orpheus’ fatal backward glance at Eurydice in The Corridor, followed by the Dutch premiere of The Cure, which tells the story of Medea restoring Aeson’s youth. Performed by the London Sinfonietta with soloists Elizabeth Atherton and Mark Padmore. Thur 9 & Fri 10 Jun, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20:30, €35/€45 THE ENCOUNTER This compelling new solo performance by Simon McBurney, who whispers his story into the audience’s headphones, is based on Petru Popescu’s bestseller Amazon Beaming about a photographer in search of a mysterious tribe in the rainforest. Thur 9-Sun 12 Jun, Stadsschouwburg, 20:00, Sun 15:00, €28/€36 PRIVACY How much intimacy can we take? Off-the-wall performers Wine Dierickx (from actors’ collective Wunderbaum) and Ward Weemhoff (De Warme Winkel) are a real-life couple who reveal all in their exploration, inspired by art history, of privacy and truth in theatre. In Dutch with English surtitles. Fri 10-Sun 12 Jun, Compagnietheater, 20:30, €26 THEATRE OF THE WORLD Director Pierre Audi joins forces with American video artists the Quay Brothers to stage Louis Andriessen’s long awaited new opera, which delves into the breathtaking dream world of Athanasius Kircher, history’s ‘last true Renaissance man’. Reinbert de Leeuw conducts the Asko|Schönberg ensemble, Leigh Melrose sings the lead part and Cristina Zavalloni that of his lover. The cast also includes Dutch rising star Nora Fischer. various dates between Sat 11 and Sun 19 Jun, Royal Theatre Carré, 20:00, Sun 13:30, €30-€108 TRANSATLANTIC The Dutch National Ballet performs works by young choreographers from either side of the Atlantic. They are united by wanting to push ballet in new directions while keeping it anchored in classical technique. The programme comprises four high-energy choreographies: two world premieres by Dutchman Ernst Meisner and the British choreographer George Williamson, David Dawson’s acclaimed piece Overture and, from New York’s rising star Justin Peck, the hit production Year of the Rabbit, performed to music by singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Various dates between Sat 11Sun 26 Jun, National Opera and Ballet, 20:15, Sun 14:00, €16-€55 THE WALKING FOREST Inspired by Shakespeare, Christiane Jatahy explores the impact of our greedy political and economic power systems on ordinary people – Macbeth in modern-day Brazil. The

Choice theatre

THE DUTCH NATIONAL OPERA 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT WITH EVA-MARIA WESTBROEK Accompanied by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek performs arias of two strong, yet controversial, women as she takes the role of Cleopatra in a monologue by Berlioz and then sings Salome from the eponymous Richard Strauss opera. Wed 29 Jun, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, 20:00, €16-€122

Marquis de Sade’s excesses to clinical avatar sex, and everything in between. Performed in Dutch with English surtitles. Sat 18 & Sun 19 Jun, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, €23/€26 STELLA Stella, by the acclaimed British theatre director Neil Bartlett, is inspired by the scandalous life and lonely death of Ernest Boulton, a music-hall artist who lived and worked as a woman in Victorian London and was punished for his success, with arrest and disgrace. In English with Dutch surtitles. Mon 20 & Tue 21 Jun, De Brakke Grond, various times, €23 UNTIL THE LIONS The renowned British choreographer Akram Khan returns to the Holland Festival with his new production, an adaptation of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. Until the Lions, which premiered in London in January 2016, explores the nature of masculinity and femininity. Thur 23-Sat 25 Jun, Westergasfabriek, 20:30, €33/€38 NEW MOVES Dancers of the Dutch National Ballet try their hands at choreographing in this annual programme. Fri 24 Jun, Dutch National Opera and Ballet, 14:00 & 20:15, €17.50

REGINALD D. HUNTER Originally from Georgia, US, Hunter is now based in the UK, where he is an acclaimed stand-up and regular guest on a host of panel shows, including Have I Got News for You and QI. Although occasionally controversial – after all, his last tour was called ‘Reginald D Hunter in Europe: A Nigga Runs Through It’, while his latest is ‘Make M Shoot You in the Ass‘ – his laid-back delivery and good nature always make for a memorable show. Tue 17 May, Boom Chicago, 20:30, €22.50-€37.50 audience can roam around the video and theatre installation, while actors simultaneously record a film of a modern Macbeth. Performed in various languages with Dutch and English surtitles. Mon 13 & Tue 14 Jun, Frascati, various times, €23 MELANCHOLIA Set to the hypnotic lamentations of the old masters of melancholia such as John Dowland and Monteverdi, Sebastian Nübling’s delicate music theatre performance explores the melancholy of youth. Choreography by Ives Thuwis. Tue 14 & Wed 15 Jun, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, 20:30, €28/€33

OPERA IN THE PARK – THE QUEEN OF SPADES The Dutch National Opera and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra‘s performance of Tchaikovsky‘s Queen of Spades is beamed into Amsterdam‘s beautiful Park Frankendael – ideal for a cultural summer outing and picnic. The Norwegian director Stefan Herheim, who is widely acclaimed for his unconventional opera stagings and spectacular productions, transports the work into a contemporary setting. In Russian, with Dutch and English surtitles. Fri 24 Jun, Park Frankendael, 19:30, free HUSBANDS AND WIVES Simon Stone, master of modern drama adaptations, and Toneelgroep Amsterdam take on Woody Allen’s famous tragicomedy about divorce, depicting ‘the relationship as a nightmare which can only be laughed at – as long as that is possible’. In Dutch with English surtitles on the below dates. Wed 22-Sun 26 Jun, Stadsschouwburg, 20:00, Sun 16:00, €23-€38 THE FUTURE OF SEX To Tinder or not to Tinder? Actors’ collective Wunderbaum are joined by writer Arnon Grunberg and director Johan Simons in a performance about desire, fulfilment and asceticism, that will take us from

ADDRESSES Boom Chicago Rozentheater Rozengracht 117 020 423 0101 www.boomchicago.nl Crea Café Nieuwe Achtergracht 170 020 525 1423 www.crea.uva.nl Dutch National Opera & Ballet Amstel 3 020 625 5455 www.operaballet.nl Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A www.melkweg.nl Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8 www.paradiso.nl RAI Theater Europaplein 22 020 549 1212 www.rai.nl Royal Theater Carré Amstel 115/125 0900 2525255 www.carre.nl Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 020 624 2311 www.stadsschouwburg amsterdam.nl Theater Amsterdam Danzigerkade 5 www.theateramsterdam.nl Theater Bellevue Leidsekade 90 020 530 5301 www.theaterbellevue.nl Toomler Breitnerstraat 2 020 670 7400 www.toomler.nl Ziggo Dome De Passage 100 www.ziggodome.nl

may & jun 2016

VISITOR INFORMATION

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I amsterdam Visitor Centres are your one-stop shops for everything you need to know about the city.

I AMSTERDAM STORE Discover the best of Amsterdam here. Real Amsterdam products and the best tips on everything you want to know about the city. Come and take a look! IJ-Hall (inside Central Station) Open Mon-Wed 08:00-19:00, Thur-Sat 08:00-20:00, Sun 09:00-18:00 www.iamsterdam.com/store #iamsterdamstore

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LAST MINUTE TICKETS Enjoy discounted theatre tickets on the day of performance. Check the Last Minute Ticket Shop and buy tickets at: www.lastminuteticketshop.nl

I AMSTERDAM VISITOR CENTRE STATIONSPLEIN (across from Central Station) Open daily (check opening times on: iamsterdam.com/ visitorcentres) I AMSTERDAM VISITOR CENTRE SCHIPHOL AIRPORT Arrivals 2 at Schiphol Plaza Open daily 07:00-22:00

THE AMSTERDAM & REGION TRAVEL TICKET SPECIAL OFFER FOR I AMSTERDAM CITY CARD HOLDERS! Purchase the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket for a special price of €10. Combine the 24-hour public bus pass with the I amsterdam City Card and make good use of both products! This offer is availabe at the I amsterdam Visitor Centres at Stationsplein and Schiphol Airport, and at the I amsterdam Store.

This ticket entitles you to unlimited travel in Amsterdam and the surrounding region – day and night – on bus, tram and metro for 24 hours. In spring there are great tourist attractions in the region, the world-famous flower garden Keukenhof (open from 24 March until 16 May 2016), the flower parade Noordwijk-Haarlem on 23 April or a visit to FloraHolland, the flower auction in Aalsmeer. The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket costs just €13.50 and can be purchased from the I amsterdam Visitor Centres, I amsterdam Store or from GVB, EBS and Connexxion ticket points.

PART IV THE A-LIST.

EXHIBITIONS & MUSEUMS TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS

‘Girl in a Red Kimono’, telling the story of how these works were created through the many preparatory drawings, sketches and photographs that the artist produced. Rijksmuseum, until 22 May

SECRET LOVE, SEXUAL DIVERSITY IN CHINA This art exhibition explores the CLOSE-UP – A NEW state of social acceptance of GENERATION OF FILM AND LGBT people in today’s China. VIDEO ARTISTS IN THE Contemporary artists have played NETHERLANDS an important role in the shift in As the title suggests, this exhiawareness and growing social bition is an opportunity for the acceptance of sexual diversity, and EYE Filmmuseum to offer up the fight for equal rights. space to recent film graduates and Tropenmuseum, until 8 May other fresh talents. Presented as STREET COUTURE a group exhibition of film/video works and installations, expect to The Street Couture style is all discover a variety of interesting about mixing and matching: artworks. high-end fashion and street fashion, sports with pop culture, and EYE Filmmuseum, until 22 May Dutch with European design. The SPANISH MASTERS FROM exhibition brings together couture THE HERMITAGE classics from the museum’s colSubtitled The World of El Greco, lection with street fashion from Ribera, Zurbarán, Velázquez, various parts of the world. Murillo & Goya, this grand exhiMuseum of Bags & Purses, bition of Spanish art and artefacts until 8 May includes more than 60 superior BERLAGE, GODFATHER paintings and a rich collection of OF DUTCH DESIGN graphic works and applied arts masterpieces. As well as the grand Berlage could be considered to masters, it features paintings by be the most important designer their pupils and later painters, up in Dutch history. He not only to and including Picasso. designed the Beurs van Berlage Hermitage Amsterdam, until in Amsterdam, but also the many 29 May exceptional objects and pieces of furniture inside the building. This DWDD POP-UP MUSEUM exhibition showcases authentic This exhibition elevates various pieces of furniture from Berlage’s regular guests of the popular hand, as well as looking at Dutch talk show De Wereld Draacontemporary Dutch Design. it Door to curators, letting each Beurs van Berlage, until 15 May of them pick a favourite work CATWALK from the archives of 11 Dutch museums. An exhibition dedicated to some Allard Pierson Museum, until 100 spectacular examples of 31 May Dutch fashion, dating from 1625 to 1960. Look out for vibrantlyUNE FEMME coloured French silk gowns and Dutch photographer Jeroen luxurious velvet gentlemen’s suits Robert Kramer presents a poetic of the 18th Century, classicallyphotographic narrative based on inspired Empire dresses and the life of Monsieur Khiar, an oldbustles of the Fin de Siècle culminating in 20th-century French er Lebanese man with whom he has a special friendship. In their haute couture by Dior and Yves personal narrative that forms the Saint Laurent. basis of the exhibition, it gradually Rijksmuseum, until 15 May becomes clear that the impacts of REMBRANDT’S NAKED the civil war in Beirut is the ‘eleTRUTH phant in the room’. Huis Marseille, until 5 Jun Based on the latest research, Rembrandt’s Naked Truth feaCALAIS - FROM JUNGLE tures 17th-century nude studies TO CITY that have never before been This exhibition captures the brought together in such large numbers. It will be the first time ongoing refugee crisis in the port that Rembrandt’s frank approach city of Calais, as documented by photographer Henk Wildschut to drawing nudes is examined in depth and brought to the atten- since 2005. In the collection, photographic and cinematic images tion of a wide audience. alternate, giving an insight into Rembrandt House Museum, how the structure of the camp is until 16 May rapidly changing. Wildschut’s way ANDY WARHOL of working has a documentary character, but is also poetic and Explore the art of Andy Warhol. suggestive. A selection of works are shown FOAM, until 5 Jun alongside photographs by peers such as David McCabe, Billy DISFARMER: THE VINTAGE Name, Steve Schapiro, Thomas PRINTS Hoepker and Ron Galella. Between 1915 and 1959, AmerMuseum Jan van der Togt, until ican studio photographer Mike 22 May Disfarmer (1884-1959) made BREITNER: GIRL IN KIMONO portraits of the residents of Heber Breitner created this much-loved Springs, a small town in rural Arkansas. FOAM is staging a major series between 1893 and 1896, retrospective, with 182 vintage with young model Geesje Kwak photographs, including a number being immortalised in his art. of prints that have never been Here you can see the entire series exhibited before. of 14 paintings, including an unFOAM, until 5 Jun finished version and an unknown

ROE ETHRIDGE: SHELTER ISLAND Foam presents the newest work by American artist Roe Ethridge. At the eastern end of Long Island, New York, the photographer turned to his family and the characteristically American ‘Kit House’ they rented for the summer of 2015. There he became fascinated by a range of stored away possessions from the homeowners and their children. FOAM, until 5 Jun EASY VIRTUE The Van Gogh Museum presents a visual presentation of prostitution in French art from the years between 1850 and 1910. Visitors can admire more than 100

paintings and works on paper by important artists such as Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Picasso, as well as some unusual objects, such as an extravagant 19th-century bed. Van Gogh Museum, until 19 Jun

WARHOL: ROYAL The new Moco Museum on Museumplein gets going with a splash and dash of iconic Warhol works, including his Marilyn prints. Moco Museum, until 3 Jul

EMIGRANTS AT LLOYD HOTEL Between 1921 and 1935, the Lloyd Hotel served as an emigrant hotel for shipping company Royal Dutch Lloyd. The project shows migration has always been a part of human life and is thus very much related to the current (European) reality. Lloyd Hotel, until 30 Jun

WORLD PRESS PHOTO The winning images from the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest begin their world tour in Amsterdam each year, presenting a reflection of trends and developments in photojournalism. This collection of images not only presents the (at times gruesome) reality of events on the world stage, but also the beauty of life, sports, art, science and nature. De Nieuwe Kerk, until 10 Jul

Choice exhibits

ALEX VERHAEST: A LA FOLIE / TO INSANITY Multimedia artist Alex Verhaest (winner of the GoldenNica Ars Electronica 2015) shows her newest interactive video installation in which she elaborates on the end of a love affair. De Brakke Grond, 7 May-30 Jun AVERY SINGER The first European museum solo exhibition of the American artist Avery Singer offers a comprehensive view of the artist’s work since 2012. It includes her vast installation that was enthusiastically received during her Statements presentation at Art Basel in 2015. Stedelijk Museum, until 31 Jul

MASTER OF LIGHT – ROBBY MÜLLER Robby Müller, the most renowned cinematographer from the Netherlands, makes his personal archive available to the public and gives intimate access to his life in self-shot videos. Beside moving images, there are Polaroid photos, letters and notes that capture what it is like to work in the world of cinema. For a comprehensive representation of the artist, his former colleagues were invited to select fragments of his films, which are also on display. EYE Filmmuseum, 4 Jun-28 Aug

HELMUT NEWTON – A RETROSPECTIVE Admire the work of Helmut Newton (1920-2004), a legendary photographer best known for his collaborations with French Vogue and the fashion industry. The retrospective features more than 200 photographs ranging from his rare to well-known works, and is a testament to the complexity and multifaceted nature of his craft. Newton’s oeuvre is considered by some to be one of the most iconic of the last quarter of the 20th Century. FOAM, 17 Jun-4 Sep

MODERN JAPAN Glimpse the dynamic changes that were occurring in Japanese culture during the first half of the 20th Century thanks to this stunning collection of print art. As modern Japan grappled to define its cultural and political relationships with China and the West, art imitated life. The Japanese prints collected in the exhibition portray both the nation’s appetite for innovation and the preservation of their unique artistic traditions. Rijksmuseum, 17 Jun-11 Sep

LIVING IN THE AMSTERDAM SCHOOL With 2016 marking 100 years of the Amsterdam School architecture movement, this exhibition sees the furniture and interior designers who were most active in this period receiving the recognition they deserve for the first time. It also reveals that their expressive furnishings functioned within an exuberant, colourful environment. Stedelijk Museum, until 28 Aug JAN DIBBETS: COLORSTUDIES 1976-2015 Dutch artist Jan Dibbets is one of the most distinguished and influential figures in the international art world. This summer, the Stedelijk devotes four top-floor galleries to his recent series ‘New Color Studies’, based on two negatives of car bodywork shot in 1976. Stedelijk Museum, 7 May-31 Jul ONCE IN A LIFETIME For this exhibition about life and mortality, curator Nina Folkersma selected new and existing works of eight nationally and internationally renowned artists: Danielle van Ark, Michaël Borremans, Stan Brakhage, Amie Dicke, Folkert de Jong, Job Koelewijn, Muntean/Rosenblum and Yehudit Sasportas. Oude Kerk, 11 May-28 Aug BERNADETTE CORPORATION Artist collective Bernadette Corporation first infiltrated the worlds of fashion, film and magazines in 1994. In 2015, the Stedelijk purchased an important

may & jun 2016

group of works by the collective – videos, photos, fashion designs and much more. Stedelijk Museum, until 28 Aug AMY WINEHOUSE: A FAMILY PORTRAIT Looking beyond the hype, this exhibition presents an intimate portrayal of the life of songstress Amy Winehouse, emphasising her passion for music and fashion, as well as the history of her Jewish family and her school days. The Winehouse family has offered access to many of Amy’s personal belongings for this collection, while the accompanying stories by her brother Alex make the experience even more personal. Jewish Historical Museum, until 4 Sep BANKSY: LAUGH NOW Last summer the Lionel Gallery launched a successful Banksy exhibition in Amsterdam. Now they’re picking it up again at their new location, showcasing street art examples like his ‘Greenfields Beans’. Moco Museum, until 4 Sep STEPHEN SHORE: RETROSPECTIVE The work of the American photographer Stephen Shore has undoubtedly shaped contemporary photography and inspired generations of photographers. Today he is famed both as a chronicler of the ordinary and as a pioneer of colour photography – never stopping exploring the boundaries of photography. Huis Marseille, 10 Jun-4 Sep DIEUWKE SPAANS Images of Amsterdam by official sketch artist Dieuwke Spaans. The exhibition also includes examples by Hamid el Kanbouhi, Amsterdam’s first official sketch artist. Amsterdam City Archives, 27 May-11 Sep ELATION – AN EXHIBITION BY RUDI FUCHS The Stedelijk has invited Rudi Fuchs, a former director of the museum, to look back on the collections he built throughout his lengthy career and his contribution to the development of the Dutch state art collection. Stedelijk Museum, 28 May18 Sep WORLD WAR TWO TODAY Since 2008, World Press Photowinning photographer Roger Cremers has been collecting images throughout Europe of re-enactments, group tourism to former concentration camps and excavating sites of victims of the battle of Stalingrad. In doing so, he’s seeking to understand why, the further WWII recedes into the past, the more intensely memories of it are evoked. Dutch Resistance Museum, until 25 Sep ADRIAEN VAN DE VELDE Approximately 25 paintings and 40 preparatory drawings completed by Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672) will be exhibited, offering a rare glimpse of a 17th-century Dutch landscape

painter at work – from conception to completion. Although this Amsterdam native died at the young age of 35, he managed to produce many paintings that would earn him posthumous fame. Rijksmuseum, 24 Jun-25 Sep RHYTHM & ROOTS This musically-inspired exhibition addresses a cultural revolution that spread through Africa and the Caribbean, delivering genres such as jazz, blues, and reggae. Cherished relics like guitars from Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry, the leather motorbike jacket from Elvis and James Brown’s cape can all be seen. Relive key moments in history through archival film clips and hear the personal stories that have shaped pop music around the world. Tropenmuseum, 15 May-30 Oct ARITA PORCELAIN TODAY The centuries-old tradition of porcelain manufacture in the Japanese town of Arita has entered a new era. Under the supervision of the Dutch design duo Scholten & Baijings and the Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara, an elite group of international designers have produced a number of new ceramic creations that can be seen in this exhibition. Rijksmuseum, 22 Apr-31 Oct CATHERINE THE GREAT A collection of more than 300 paintings, sculptures and personal objects of Catherine the Great make their way from St. Petersburg to Amsterdam, inviting spectators into her world. This exhibition offers a unique glimpse into the life of Europe’s longest-reigning empress. Many of her possessions, such as jewellery, dresses and other fine artefacts, help to unravel her decadent life. Hermitage Amsterdam, 18 Jun-15 Jan

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS ANNE FRANK HOUSE Prinsengracht 263 is where Anne Frank lived in hiding with her family for more than two years during World War II. Now converted into a museum, it contains a sobering exhibition about persecution. BODY WORLDS After captivating visitors the world over, the oftcontroversial exhibition of human specimens including whole-body plastinates, organs and translucent body slices features an extensive selection of authentic human specimens. EYE FILM MUSEUM Cinematography museum with an internationally renowned collection of films covering the whole history of cinema. GEELVINCK HINLOPEN HOUSE A decadent canal-side mansion showcasing 17th-century patri-

Choice exhibit

ENERGETICA This new outdoor exhibition on the roof of NEMO invites you to experience the ways in which it is possible to generate energy from the wind, water and sun, using special sculptures and installations to demonstrate the techniques. These interactive exhibits include apparatus such as sundials, windmills and solar panels. Even better, access to 'Energetica' is free. Science Center NEMO, www.e-nemo.nl cian wealth. Highlights include ornamental gardens and sumptuous themed salons. HET GRACHTENHUIS (MUSEUM OF THE CANALS) A tribute to the Canal District, with multimedia exhibitions showing how the engineering marvel was built on swampland during the 17th Century. HORTUS BOTANICUS For nearly four centuries, Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanicus has regaled visitors with its lush greenhouses and exotic plants. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. HOUSEBOAT MUSEUM Located in the Hendrika Maria, a former freighter moored on the Prinsengracht, the Houseboat Museum gives a fun insight into life on Amsterdam’s canals – a uniquely Dutch way of life. ONS’ LIEVE HEER OP SOLDER (OUR LORD IN THE ATTIC) This clandestine church in a 17th-century canal house attic dates back to the Reformation, when Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith in public. REMBRANDTHUIS (REMBRANDT HOUSE) The house that Rembrandt called home for nearly 20 years boasts an impressive collection of drawings and paintings by the Old Master himself as well as by his contemporaries. The Rembrandthuis is also home to 290 of Rembrandt’s etchings with an alternating selection. RIJKSMUSEUM Visit the state museum and embark on a journey through Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages and Renaissance right up until the 20th Century. HET SCHEEPVAART MUSEUM (NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM) The National Maritime Museum comprises a series of small exhibitions exploring various el-

ements of maritime life. Moored outside is the Amsterdam, an exact replica of a famous Dutch East India Company ship. KONINKLIJK PALEIS (ROYAL PALACE) The Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace) on Amsterdam’s Dam Square is one of three palaces still in use by the Dutch royal family. When the palace is not being used by the royal family, it is open to the public. STEDELIJK MUSEUM The museum’s permanent collection is on display in the beautifully restored historical building. Half of the ground floor is reserved for the design collection. TROPENMUSEUM The ‘Museum of the Tropics’ has eight geographically-themed permanent exhibitions and an ongoing series of temporary presentations, including both modern and traditional visual arts and photographic work. WILLET-HOLTHUYSEN MUSEUM The only completely period furnished canal-side house in Amsterdam has a remarkable collection of Golden Age art and silverware. ADDRESSES Allard Pierson Museum Oude Turfmarkt 127 www.allardpiersonmuseum.nl Amsterdam City Archives Vijzelstraat 32 www.stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl Amsterdam Museum Kalverstraat 92 www.amsterdammuseum.nl Anne Frank House Prinsengracht 263-267 www.annefrank.org Museum of Bags & Purses Herengracht 573 www.tassenmuseum.nl Beurs Van Berlage Damrak 243 www.beursvanberlage.com Biblical Museum Herengracht 366-368 www.bijbelsmuseum.nl Body Worlds Damrak 66

www.bodyworlds.nl De Appel Arts Centre Prins Hendrikkade 142 www.deappel.nl De Brakke Grond Nes 45 www.brakkegrond.nl Cobra Museum Sandbergplein 1 Amstelveen www.cobra-museum.nl Diamond Museum Amsterdam Paulus Potterstraat 8 diamantmuseumamsterdam.nl Dutch Press Museum Zeeburgerkade 10 www.persmuseum.nl Dutch Resistance Museum Plantage Kerklaan 61 www.verzetsmuseum.org EYE Filmmuseum IJpromenade 1 www.eyefilm.nl FOAM Keizersgracht 609 www.foam.org Geelvinck Hinlopen House Keizersgracht 633 www.geelvinck.nl Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7 www.vangoghmuseum.nl Het Grachtenhuis (Museum of the Canals) Herengracht 386 www.hetgrachtenhuis.nl Hermitage Amsterdam Amstel 51 www.hermitage.nl Hortus Botanicus Plantage Middenlaan 2A www.dehortus.nl Houseboat Museum Prinsengracht 296K www.houseboatmuseum.nl Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401 www.huismarseille.nl Museum Jan van der Togt Dorpsstraat 50, Amstelveen www.jvdtogt.nl Jewish Historical Museum Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1 www.jhm.nl Madame Tussauds Dam 20 www.madametussauds.com/ Amsterdam Micropia Artisplein, Plantage Kerklaan 38 www.micropia.nl/en De Nieuwe Kerk Dam Square www.nieuwekerk.nl Ons’ Lieve Heer Op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40 www.opsolder.nl Oudekerk Oudekerksplein 23 www.oudekerk.nl Rembrandt House Museum Jodenbreestraat 4 www.rembrandthuis.nl Rijksmuseum Jan Luijkenstraat 1 www.rijksmuseum.nl Royal Palace Amsterdam Dam square www.paleisamsterdam.nl Het Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime Museum) Kattenburgerplein 1 www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl Stedelijk Museum Museumplein 10 www.stedelijk.nl Tropenmuseum Linnaeusstraat 2 www.tropenmuseum.nl Willet-Holthuysen Museum Herengracht 605 www.willetholthuysen.nl

PART IV THE A-LIST.

GALLERIES POWERED BY AMSTERDAM ART WWW.AMSTERDAMART.COM

1. MUSE

The figures on display, carved from Camphor wood, represent popular women on Pinterest and Instagram that function as role models for young Japanese women. By portraying their pain through their attitude and expressionlessness, Hideki Iinuma unmasks the contemporary ideal of beauty.

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21 MAY-2 JULY Marian Cramer Projects Chopinstraat 31

2. ESTABLISHING EDEN In blockbuster films, New Zealand is captured and confiscated by movie shots to propagate it as an evergreen and unspoilt wilderness. Broersen and Lukács travelled through New Zealand and appropriated the landscape once again. By forming a digitally created perpetual movie shot out of fragments they captured on their trip, they show their ‘Eden’ as an illusion.

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UNTIL 9 JULY Akinci Lijnbaansgracht 317

3. THESE SHAPES REMIND ME OF YOU

The relationship between form and emotion is emphasised. Works by several Rijksakademie residents will be on view (a.o.), including pieces by Thierry Oussou, Kareem Lotfy and Frederique Jonker.

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14 MAY-25 JUN Juliette Jongma Gerard Doustraat 128 A

4. THE LAND OF VIRTUALLY NOTHING

In his imposing drawings, Thijs Zweers describes the new habitat of the younger generations with a very distinct romanticism. Using pitch black Siberian charcoal, he created a digital wilderness of subcultures, images and stories. UNTIL 21 MAY Torch Lauriergracht 94

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5. THROUGH THE BARRICADES

Through the barricades refers not so much to a Romeo & Juliet-style love story set in a troubled country, as to (political) conflicts in general and the pain caught by ideologies, and manipulation. The video works each show a different view on the effects of the concept of authority. 21 MAY-25 JUNE Tegenboschvanvreden Bloemgracht 57

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FILM FAVOURITES AMSTERDAM SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL Fans of Spanish cinema will definitely be spoilt for choice this second edition of ASFF, with a solid programme featuring especially strong female leads (Penélope Cruz, Dolores Fonzi, Juliette Binoche, among many others). Don’t miss the documentary La calle de los pianistas followed by a piano concert by one of its protagonists, Karin Lechner. Also: free Spanish wine & snacks! 25-30 May. Pathé Tuschinski & EYE. www.amsterdamspanishfilmfestival.com

LOUIS THEROUX: MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE Painting an objective portrait of the workings of Scientology is a difficult task, but Louis Theroux was willing to give it a go, even if it meant resorting to reenactments with actors standing in for David Miscavige (its leader) and Tom Cruise (its poster boy). Theroux doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, but his cool during confrontations never fails to inspire. Directed by: John Dower Release: 5 May

MONEY MONSTER For financial TV host Lee Gates (George Clooney), today isn’t just business as usual when he is taken hostage by one of his faithful viewers (Jack O’Connell) who has lost all his money following Gates’ advice from an earlier show. Julia Roberts co-stars. Directed by: Jodie Foster Release: 12 May

THAT SUGAR FILM Yes, we know fast food is bad for you, even if it tastes so good. But self-proclaimed guinea pig Damon Gameau shows us how ‘healthy’ products (from cereal, low-fat yoghurt and smoothies to chicken teriyaki) may be just as bad, just by following the forty-tablespoons-of-sugar-aday diet of an average Australian. Your supermarket will never look the same. Directed by: Damon Gameau Release: 19 May

A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING Is it a trend? Some of the most brilliant directors of the 1990s now consistently turn out films that are dubious at best. Gus van Sant’s last year’s endeavor, Sea of Trees (release: 12 May), got booed at Cannes. Or what to think of Atom Egoyan’s latest, Remember (release: 19 May) about a vengeful Holocaustsurvivor (Christopher Plummer) with Alzheimer’s? Let’s hope Tom Tykwer will fare better with this Dave Egger’s adaptation. Directed by: Tom Tykwer Release: 16 June

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP There is a reason why nobody ever dared adapt Jane Austen’s epistolary novella Lady Susan into a movie. On paper she was just too mercenary a character to make into an even slightly likable heroine. Luckily, Whit Stillman (The Last Days of Disco) proved up to the task. His Lady Susan (played to perfection by Kate Beckinsale) is still pretty shady, but has a lot more shade. Directed by: Whit Stillman Release: 26 May

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

RED TULIP FILM FESTIVAL

Hollywood is slowly discovering the unique talents of writer-director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud). Thankfully, even with a bigger budget, Nichols still manages to spin a tale as singular as ever, about a man (Michael Shannon) on the run with his mysteriously gifted son. Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver co-star.

Not much is yet known about the programming of the fourth edition of the Red Tulip Film Festival, a celebration of Turkish film, but its main theme will be forced migration, coupled with a photo exposition by Evin Özmen who captured the stories of people from Syria, Turkey and Iraq for whom becoming a refugee wasn’t a choice.

Directed by: Jeff Nichols Release: 12 May

1-4 June, Filmtheater Rialto www.rtff.nl

may & jun 2016

KIDS & FAMILY VENUES AMSTERDAM DUNGEON The Amsterdam Dungeon brings 500 years of dark history to life with 11 shows, seven actors and one terrifying experience! Rokin 78, www.the-dungeons.nl Open daily 11:00-17:00 (last tour); €22, ages 4-15 €18 AMSTERDAMSE BOS This huge park and forest is one of Amsterdam’s super secrets despite being three times the size of New York’s Central Park. Visitor Centre, Bosbaanweg 5, Amstelveen, www.amsterdamsebos.nl Various times & prices ANNE FRANK HOUSE This is the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her diary during World War II. Quotations from the diary, photographs, films and original objects – including Anne’s diary. Suitable for children over ten. Prinsengracht 263-267, www.annefrank.org Open Mon-Sat 09:00-22:00, Sun 09:00-21:00; €9, ages 10-17 €4.50 ARTIS ROYAL ZOO Admire the tropical fish in the Aquarium and travel through time in the Planetarium. See giraffes resting amongst the zebras and wildebeests. Surround yourself with hundreds of fluttering butterflies in the Butterfly Pavilion or stroll through the historical park with its centuries-old trees and a multitude of plants. Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, www.artis.nl Open daily 09:00-18:00; €20,50, ages 3-9 €17 BLEEKMOLENS RACE PLANET Burn off some steam and rubber at this indoor go-karting track. Minimum age for karting is eight years old. Helmets and protective clothing are included. There’s also a large playground, bowling alley and restaurant. Herwijk 10, www.raceplanet.com Open Mon-Fri 13.00-23.00, Sat & Sun 12.00-23.00; various packages available COBRA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART In addition to presenting interesting exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, the museum also offers a free Children’s Studio. Sandbergplein 1, Amstelveen, www.cobra-museum.nl Open Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00; adults €9.50, ages 6-18 €6; Children’s Studio, Sun 11:0014:00, free HORTUS BOTANICUS A refuge from the bustle of the city, highlights include a palm and a butterfly greenhouse, four beehives, tempo-

rary exhibitions and a café. Plantage Middenlaan 2A, www.dehortus.nl Open Mon-Sat, 10:00-17:00; €8.50, ages 5-14 €4.50 HET TWISKE This nature reserve and recreational area is situated in thenorth of Amsterdam between Zaanstad and Purmerend. In addition to large playgrounds, a beach and plenty of green space, you can rent canoes, row or pedal boats, and sailboats. www.hettwiske.nl KINDERKOOKKAFÉ The ‘Kids Cook Café’ is a delightful and unique restaurant located by the Vondelpark. Children (ages five to 12) do everything to help run the restaurant, including cooking, serving, bartending, tidying up and running the register. Vondelpark 6b, www.kinderkookkafe.nl Open daily 10:00-17:00; various prices DE KLIMMUUR Rock climbing in the centre of Amsterdam. Dijksgracht 2, www.deklimmuur.nl Various times & prices LOVERS POWERZONE Strike it big at one of the six glow-in-the-dark bowling alleys, or pit yourself against the enemy on the laser tag battleground. De Ruyterkade 153, www.loverspowerzone.nl Various times & prices MADAME TUSSAUDS AMSTERDAM The collection of wax figures include Brad Pitt, the outrageous Lady Gaga and the brilliant Einstein. Dam 20, www.madametussauds.nl Open daily 10:00-18:30; €22, ages 5-15 €18, under-5s free MIRANDABAD SWIMMING POOL Subtropical swimming pool complex with a beach, palm trees, several indoor pools, and wave machines. Other amenities include squash courts, a solarium and a restaurant. De Mirandalaan 9, www.mirandabad.nl. Various times & prices PANCAKE BOAT A cosy boat, all-you-can-eat pancakes and a view of Amsterdam’s waters make the Pancake Boat a great activity for all ages. Ms van Riemsdijkweg opposite nr 38, www.pannenkoekenboot.nl Various times & prices HET SCHEEPVAARTMUSEUM (NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM) This nautical museum has a variety of exhibitions designed just for kids, including the Life on board exhibition.

Kattenburgerplein 1, www. scheepvaartmuseum.nl. Open daily 09:00-17:00; €15, ages 5-17 €7.50, under-5s free

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Highlight ARTIS

SCIENCE CENTER NEMO NEMO introduces young and old to science and technology. Oosterdok 2, www.e-nemo.nl. Open daily 10:00-17:30; €15, under-4s free STEDELIJK MUSEUM The Stedelijk Museum offers a renovated Family Lab in which young and old are encouraged to learn about artists and techniques and create bold artwork. Museumplein 10, www.stedelijk.nl Open Mon-Wed, Sat & Sun 10:00-18:00, Thur 10:0022:00; €15, children free TROPENMUSEUM JUNIOR Tropenmuseum is renowned for its efforts in child-friendly exhibitions. In the Junior building, interactive exhibits introduce children to new cultures in a playful way. Linnaeusstraat 2, www.tropenmuseum.nl. Open Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, Mondays during public and school holidays 10:00-17:00; €12.50, ages 4-18 €8, under-4s free TUNFUN An indoor paradise for children under 12. Kids can enjoy hours of fun in a huge 4,000m2 indoor playground. There’s something for every age and interest. Mr Visserplein 7, www.tunfun.nl. Open daily 10:00-18:00; ages 1-12 €8.50, accompanying adults free VERZETSMUSEUM JUNIOR A Junior building shows young visitors (9-14 years) how four peers lived during wartime. Verzetsmuseum, Plantage Kerklaan 61, www.verzetsmuseum.org. Open Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00; Sat-Mon 11:0017:00; €8, ages 7-15 €4.50, under-7s free WIND ‘N’ WHEELS This large-scale urban ‘land yachting’ park is set up on Zeeburgereiland. Wind ‘n’ Wheels, Zuiderzeeweg 1, www.windnwheels.nl Various times & price WOESTE WESTEN PLAYGROUND An outdoor playground where kids can explore, dig, climb, play in the sand, and check out the frogs and bugs. Westerpark, www.woestewesten.nl Playground supervisor is present Mon & Tue 12:0018:00, Wed-Sun 11:00-18:00

EVENTS HET NEDERLANDS MARIONETTENTHEATER A charming marionette theatre with performances

ZOOMERAVONDEN – SUMMER NIGHTS IN ARTIS ROYAL ZOO Every Saturday in June, July and August, Artis Royal Zoo will be open till sunset. Stroll under the centuries-old trees and amidst the historical buildings and enjoy the animals all around you in the evening sun. Have a picnic in the grass, surrounded by plants and flowers that are both beautiful and edible. Wellknown Dutch artists will be performing live in the Bandstand, and we will be serving up a special Summer Nights menu featuring pizzas from the outdoor kitchen, locally brewed beer and more. As dusk falls, visit the animal enclosures and discover their night-time rituals. Experience a unique evening in the green heart of Amsterdam. Artis Royal Zoo is open every day. Tickets are free for children aged 0 to 2, €17.00 for children aged 3 to 9 and €20.50 for 10+. Reservations for activities are not required. www.artis.nl for children aged 4 to 10 (sometimes to 12). Puppets bring magical tales like Rumpelstiltskin, Pinocchio and The Magic Violin to life. Productions are in Dutch but the music and visuals ensure that language is no barrier. Het Nederlands Marionettentheater, www.nederlandsmarionettentheater.nl Various times and prices SUNDAY MARKET Artists, designers and craftspeople flog their wares and delicious food & drink is on offer to fuel your shopping frenzy. There is always some form of entertainment or crafty workshop on and plenty of kids clothing and toy stalls to browse through. Sun 1 May & 5 Jun, Westergasfabriek, www.sundaymarket.nl KERMIS (FUNFAIR) Whether you’re one for being flung around high above the city, racing around in the dodgems, being spooked in the haunted house or simply sightseeing from the top of a Ferris wheel, the fairground is guaranteed great fun at any age. Anton de Komplein Zuidoost (4-8 May); Zeeburg (19-22 May); Oosterpark (20-29 May); Ecuplein (27 May-5 Jun); Heinekenplein (8-12 Jun); IJburg (14-19 Jun); Jan van Galenstraat (22-26 Jun)

HEMELTJELIEF FESTIVAL This family festival steals the show every Ascension Day with an enormous musical and theatrical line-up and plenty of events and activities. As this year’s event coincides with Liberation Day, the theme this time has a freedom feel, including a special Freedom Picnic. Look out for fun activities and live music for both young and old. Thur 5 May, NDSM Wharf, www.hemeltjelieffestival.nl VONDELPARK OPEN AIR THEATRE Steeped in musical and theatrical history, Amsterdam’s famous Vondelpark presents a programme packed with dance, cabaret, jazz, children's theatre, stand-up comedy and all genres of music every summer. Look out for a wide variety of entertainment at the Open Air Theatre each weekend. Thur 5 May- Sun 11 Sep, Vondelpark Open Air Theatre, www.openluchttheater.nl KINDERBEVRIJDINGS FESTIVAL This special Liberation Day festival in Vondelpark is especially for the kids. Enjoy a splash of music, a dash of theatre and plenty of colour and laughs. Thur 5 May, Vondelpark Open Air Theatre, www. openluchttheater.nl

A-LIST. PART IV THE A-LIST

SPORTS EVENTS

can watch professional athletes compete in flagship events and enjoy demos, clinics, musical performances, video screenings and parties. until Mon 2 May, various locations, www.urbansportsweekamsterdam.com

FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE Get your skates on for the weekly Friday Night Skate, an institution in Amsterdam! Departing from the Vondelpark, the NATIONAL STREET skating routes take in all areas FOOTBALL DAY of the city, allowing you to skate Reclaim the streets and show in places where you wouldn’t on off your football skills. This your own. every Friday, Vondelpark Pa- national event encompasses 28 street football events, three of vilion, www.fridaynightskate. which take place in Amsterdam com in the districts of Nieuw-West, FRIDAY NIGHT RUN Oost and Zuid. Organised by the Phanos ath- Thur 5 May, various locations, www.svbn.nl letics association every second Friday of the month, this free THE NETHERLANDS VS group running event is open UKRAINE to both recreational and more Rugby is picking up more and serious sportsters. Beginners can join in the 40-minute run at more fans in the Netherlands, as well as growing as a sport a slower tempo and there’s also at universities. So head along the standard one-hour run. 13 May & 10 Jun, Olympic Sta- and support the Dutch national team take on Ukraine in this dium, www.fridaynightrun.nl international match in AJAX Amsterdam. Sat 7 May, Nationaal Rugby They’re Amsterdam’s top footCentrum, www.rugby.nl ball club, known around the world for their distinctive red VETROLLEN MEGA and white shirt and for their ROLLER PARTY legacy of Dutch and European This rockin’ and rollin’ night victories. The only upcoming resolutely proves that disco ain’t home league match is versus dead, baby! So get your skates FC Twente on 1 May. With the league season coming to an end on (or hire a pair for the night) and enjoy a night of roller a week later, expect plenty of skating and partying. Housed excitement as they push to win in a hall promising more than the 2015/2016 title. 1,000m2 of roller space, the Sun 1 May, Amsterdam ArenA, event also features a family www.amsterdamarena.nl market, separate kids’ skating URBAN SPORTS WEEK area, dance crews and lessons AMSTERDAM for true beginners. Mon 16 May, Kromhouthal, Enjoy a wealth of urban sports www.ikwilvetrollen.nl throughout Amsterdam this week. Look out for events AMSTERDAM like a 3x3 basketball contest, SEVENS RUGBY BMX demos, inline skating, Get ready for a ruck as interfreerunning, skateboarding national rugby returns to Amsessions and much more. Fans

Highlight sports

NEXTGEN SERIES This annual football competition pits eight of the best under-19 club teams in the world against each other. The contest dates back to 1934, when the local amateur outfit Blauw-Wit Amsterdam began hosting teams over the Pentecost holiday weekend. It’s now the youngsters from Ajax that host the event at Amsterdam’s famous Olympic Stadium – rebranding this year from the Copa Amsterdam to the NextGen Series. Top teams from around the world join for short, action-packed games – in 2016, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Galatasaray will also compete. 14-16 May, Olympic Stadium, www.nextgen.amsterdam

GAY & LESBIAN sterdam. Now reaching its 43rd edition, the Amsterdam Sevens tournament attracts male and female teams from around the world (both amateur and professional), as well as up to 10,000 cheering rugby fans. Pick up a single day ticket or head along for the full weekend. Fri 27-Sun 29 May, Nationaal Rugby Centrum, www.amsterdamsevens.com AVOND4DAAGSE WESTERPARK If running isn’t your thing, do what the Dutch do and try some endurance walking. Taking place across four evenings, you can participate in 5km or 10km routes. Mon 30 May-Thur 2 Jun, Westerpark, www.a4dw.nl CYCLE TOUR AMSTERDAM Looking to explore Amsterdam and its outskirts by bike? This trek leads cyclists past many of the highlights of the Netherlands’ capital city, as well as the option to tour areas of Noord-Holland and Flevoland. The tour features various routes and distances (50km, 80km, 110km & 145 km). Sun 12 Jun, ArenA Boulevard, www.cycletouramsterdam.nl GAASPERPLASRUN Another staple event in Amsterdam’s running calendar, this competition features 1km, 2km, 5km and 10km courses around the Gaasperplas Lake in Amsterdam Zuidoost. It forms part of the Rondje Mokum, a series of seven runs taking place in different parts of Amsterdam. Sun 12 Jun, Gaasperplas, www.gaasperplasrun.nl ZUIDAS RUN The Zuidas may be one of Amsterdam’s densest business districts but it’s certainly not all work and no play. This annual running event starts and finishes amidst the office blocks, but cuts through the scenic southern areas of Amsterdam on the way. Everyone’s invited to take on the 4km and 10km mile courses, as well as a 5x2 mile relay. Sun 12 Jun, Zuidas, www.zuidasrun.nl DUTCH ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS The very best Dutch track and field stars return to Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium for the national championships! Expect to see a strong field on display ahead of the European Championships in Amsterdam in July, as well as in preparation for the Rio Olympics. Thur 16-Sun 19 Jun, Olympic Stadium, www.atletiek.nl ICAN TRIATHLON Triathletes from all across Europe and beyond will take to the roads, parks and waterways of Amsterdam during this familyfriendly event. Tackle the full Olympic triathlon or the half triathlon – or simply enjoy the spectacle from the sidelines. Sun 26 Jun, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, www.icantriathlonamsterdam.com

REGULAR EVENTS MELLOW MONDAY Recharge after your busy weekend with free foot and shoulder massages, free snacks, free detox scrubs, and dry and steam saunas. Every Mon, Sauna NZ, 19:00, €19,50, under-26s €10, men only NAKED SWIMMING The Marnixbad pools contain much less chlorine than most – which is good news since you’ll be exposing your sensitive bits. Every Tue, Marnixbad, 21:15, various prices

lives and communities. For Turks and non Turks, gays, lesbians and straights – let’s celebrate the Turkish gay scene with DJ’s from Amsterdam and Istanbul (pop, house, techno/ethnic), dance performances and audio-visual Art. Sat 7 May, Paradiso, 23:30 AMSTERDAM FETISH PRIDE Many bars, clubs, shops, restaurants and companies participate in Amsterdam Fetish Pride. All throughout Ascension weekend, enjoy well-established parties like Mister Leather Amsterdam election, RECON’s Full Fetish, XXX Leather, BLUF Workshops, 2nd Hand Fetsh Flea Market, Fetish dinner and much more. Thur 12-Mon 16 May, various locations

(Z)ONDERBROEK Guys: Every Friday night and BEAR NECESSITY every first Saturday of the Bear Necessity started as a month, drop all your pretencbear party, but has become es and dance without pants at more a general gay dance Club Church in Amsterdam. The dress code is strictly en- party for men. This party celebrates their eighth forced: briefs and jocks are anniversary! welcome; swimming trunks, Sat 11 June, Club Air, 23:00boxers, sports shorts or going 06:00, €20 commando are also permitted. Board shorts, Bermudas or other streetwear prohibited. ADDRESSES Every Fri night & first Sat Amstel Fifty Four of the month, Club Church, Amstel 54 22:00-05:00, €10 www.amstelfiftyfour.nl Church Kerkstraat 52 www.clubchurch.nl ONE-OFF Club Air EVENTS Amstelstraat 16 www.clubair.nl NUDE CLUB Club NYX Reguliersdwarsstraat 42 Nude Club Amsterdam is a www.clubnyx.nl nude gay cruise and play Engel van Amsterdam party once a month on Sunday Zeedijk 21 afternoon. Dress code: shoes www.engelamsterdam.nl only. Safe only. Hotel Arena Sun 1 May & 5 June, The 's-Gravesandestraat 5 Warehouse, Doors open 15:00, www.hotelarena.nl €10 Lellebel GAY MOVIE NIGHT Utrechtsestraat 4 www.lellebel.nl Nurse your hangover in the Marnixbad dark, while enjoying a screenMarnixplein 1 ing of the gems of gay cinema. www.hetmarnix.nl Wed 11 May & 8 June, Pathé Paradiso de Munt, 21:00, €10 Weteringschans 6-8 GARBO FOR WOMEN www.paradiso.nl Pathé de Munt Single ladies strut their stuff Vijzelstraat 15 at this regular ladies-only www.pathe.nl meet-up. Prik Sat 28 May & 25 June, Spuistraat 109 Strand West, 18:00, €8 www.prikamsterdam.nl HORSEMEN & KNIGHTS The Queen’s Head Zeedijk 20 Big willy gay sex party. www.queenshead.nl Dress code: naked or Saarein underwear. Drop ’em and if Elandsstraat 119-HS you measure up, entrance is www.saarein2.nl free. Sauna NZ (Nieuwezijds) Sat 15 May & 19 June, The Nieuwezijds Armsteeg 95 Warehouse, 15:00, €8 www.saunanieuwezijds.nl LADZ Strand West Stavangerweg 900 The gay dance party for lads, www.garboforwomen.nl scallies, gabbers, sneaker- and Taboo sportswear boys. DJs play the Reguliersdwarsstraat 45 harder styles of dance music. www.taboobar.nl Sat 28 May, Club Church, Theater Amsterdam 22:00-5:00 Danzigerkade 5 PINK ISTANBUL www.theateramsterdam.nl The Warehouse The best of the Gay-scenes of Warmoesstraat 96 Amsterdam and Istanbul meet up for this Art & Dance event www.warehouseamsterdam.com that links both cities’ cultural

Piet Kramer, drie kasten, 1918-ca. 1935, coll. Stedelijk Museum

MUSEUM TIPS amsterdammusea.org

Living in the Amsterdam School Made in Amsterdam

Immerse yourself in a spectacular survey of Amsterdam School interior design such as furniture, lamps, clocks and textiles.

Made in Amsterdam

František Kupka, Het meisje van Gallien, 1909-1910, Praag, Národní Gallery, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam

Stedelijk Museum, until 28 August

In 100 works of art, Made in Amsterdam showcases the most important artists, ideas and movements over the last century. Amsterdam Museum, until 31 July

Easy Virtue

World Press Photo

An exhibition about the visual presentation of prostitution in French art from the years between 1850 and 1910.

The first stop on the worldwide tour. Awe-inspiring press photos by prize winners from all over the world.

Van Gogh Museum, until 19 June

De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam, until 10 July

Visit these and many other museums for free with the I amsterdam City Card iamsterdam.com/citycard

AMSTERDAM MAGAZINE

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CLOSING SPECIAL FEATURE

new land

New Land

For centuries the Dutch have used dykes, dams, windmills and pumping stations to wage war with water. In the 20th century, work began on reclaiming land from the Zuiderzee, creating the province of Flevoland.

YOUNG CITIES Located just 20 minutes from Amsterdam, Almere has a 42-kilometre coastline and beautiful scenery, but it is perhaps best known for its daring contemporary architecture. From the moment it was established in 1976, Almere has been one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. It is a place where innovations thrive – which is essentially what the ‘new town’ character is all about. Lelystad was intended as the capital of the IJsselmeer polders. That’s why it was named after the father of the Zuiderzee Project, Dutch engineer, water expert, minister, governor and politician Cornelis Lely. Today, Lelystad offers plenty to see and do, from a replica of a 17th-century VOC ship to one of the country’s largest outlet malls. It is particularly delightful in the summer, when the waterside terraces overlooking the harbor beckon.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST POLDER Whenever and wherever you walk in Flevoland, you’re walking on the seabed. A system of dykes protects the area from the surrounding sea, the level of which is, on average, five metres higher. In the 20th century, work began on reclaiming more than 1,800km2 from the inland Zuiderzee, creating the Netherlands’ 12th and youngest province, Flevoland, and cities like Almere and Lelystad in the process. Before the Zuiderzee was impoldered, it posed a looming and constant threat to the inhabitants of the surrounding area, with thousands of people losing their lives during storm floods. Work began in 1924, and by 1932 Dutch aquatic prowess had achieved what many thought was impossible: the Afsluitdijk (literally ‘closure dyke’), which runs for some 30 kilometres from the province of Noord-Holland in the west to Friesland in the east. Today, the area’s remarkable history, a unique nature reserve, modern architecture and friendly beaches make New Land well worth a visit.

www.iamsterdam.com/area

69 NEW NATURE OOSTVAARDERSPLASSEN The Oostvaardersplassen is a unique nature reserve located between Lelystad and Almere. Comprising 56km2 of protected marshlands and fields, it serves as a migration area for birds and makes for an amazing spot for a hike or a day of birdwatching. Its ‘locals’ include not just residents of the feathered kind but also wild deer, cattle and Konik horses. The nature film ‘De Nieuwe Wildernis’, a spectacular production that captured the wildlife over a period of two years, was shot here. Natuurbelevingcentrum De Oostvaarders www.stadennatuur.nl Buitencentrum Oostvaardersplassen www.staatsbosbeheer.nl

NEW ARCHITECTURE

NEW MEETS OLD

ARCHITECTURE & NEW LAND

BATAVIAWERF

If you’re interested in cutting-edge architecture and intrigued by modern urban development, then you’ll be spoilt for choice in New Land. Some city blocks in Lelystad and Almere are exhibitions in their own right, featuring breath-taking visual spectacles of architectural audacity.

In the ‘Batavia Yard’ shipyard, workers reconstruct ships from the Golden Age that were important to the Netherlands’ maritime history. In April 1995, the ‘Batavia’, the most authentic reconstruction of a 17th-century VOC ship ever made, was launched after ten years of construction. A sort of Golden Age Titanic – big, expensive and supposedly unsinkable – the original ‘Batavia’, filled to the brim with cannons and goods for the colonies, crashed into a reef off the shores of western Australia during its maiden voyage in 1629. Its replica is on show all year round.

www.visitflevoland.nl/architecture

LAND ART During the creation of the Flevoland polder, the engineers and planners decided to mark the momentous occasion with art. They turned to an art form that spoke to their imagination: land art. As a result, a collection of six ‘land art’ works – the highest concentration anywhere in the world – by world-famous artists such as Robert Morris, Richard Serra and Daniel Libeskind was commissioned. All six can be visited in a single day. Discover these gems by yourself (by car) or during an organised bus tour – and take in the amazing history of Flevoland’s creation at the same time.

www.bataviawerf.nl

www.visitflevoland.nl

NEW LAND MUSEUM Presenting a broad outline of the history of Flevoland, from the prehistoric Swifterbant people to the largest reclamation project ever: the Zuiderzee Project. The collection includes 6,000-year-old archaeological finds from the days when Flevoland was still an extensive marshland, as well as archives with thousands of photographs, documents and many more. There’s plenty for children to do, including presentations that let them step into the shoes of a dyke builder, archaeologist or lock-keeper. Fun experiments and games teach them about one of the Netherlands’ key challenges: water management. www.nieuwlanderfgoed.nl

BATAVIA STAD AMSTERDAM FASHION OUTLET A shoppers’ paradise, Batavia Stad is a lakeside fashion outlet mall. Bargain hunters flock here from around the country to seek out big brands and discounted goods – from fashion to perfumes, and kitchenware to sporting goods – from prestigious designers such as Calvin Klein, Guess, Hugo Boss and dozens of others in more than 100 shops. www.bataviastad.nl TIP: A special Shopping Shuttle runs directly from Amsterdam Central Station to Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet. The shuttle departs daily at 10am from the pick-up point in front of Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam Hotel (€15 return).

CLOSING SPECIAL FEATURE

castles & gardens

Castles & Gardens The countryside near Amsterdam was always a popular region for the richer classes of the Golden Age. Luckily, they left a heritage of beautiful estates for us to enjoy .

FORTRESS STRETCH NAARDEN & WEESP Nearby Naarden is one of the most remarkable examples of a preserved fortified town. From the air, the town’s unique layout resembles a gigantic snowflake, comprising six bastions, a double rampart and a double ring of canals. The history of Naarden is explained at the fascinating Dutch Fortress Museum, which features canons, weapons, uniforms and an audio-visual presentation. Experience how the soldiers protected Amsterdam and its surroundings from enemies from the Far East, and explore the dark corners of the fortress, where the soldiers once fought, lived and slept. www.vestingmuseum.nl A grand town hall, windmills, forts and the River Vecht adorn the fortified town of Weesp. The historic centre boasts almost 200 monuments and the town hall houses a small museum for one of its oldest industries: porcelain. www.museumweesp.nl

For more info & tips, go to www.iamsterdam.com/area

MUIDEN & AMSTERDAM CASTLE MUIDERSLOT The fortified town of Muiden is located near the IJmeer, just 20 minutes from Amsterdam. Dating back to the 10th Century, it is now known for its peaceful streets, cosy cafés and historic harbour and landmarks. Muiden is also home to the grand Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot – built around 1285 – which looms over the mouth of the River Vecht. Take a tour through the impressive knight’s hall, towers, dungeon and armoury; or dress up like a real knight and try your hand at jousting. The castle’s theme in 2016 is ‘Living in the Middle Ages’, and the Kemenade chamber has been transformed into a medieval interior. A great day of fun for the whole family! FREE entrance with your I amsterdam City Card www.muiderslot.nl

Just outside Amsterdam you’ll find a number of lakes perfect for a day of fun on the water. D AIYP TR AMSTEL RIVER COUNTRYSIDE Amsterdam’s hinterland is quiet, green and unspoilt – no wonder it was prime real estate for wealthy Golden Age merchants looking to escape the city. Retrace their footsteps along the River Amstel. Rent a bike from one of Amsterdam’s many bike rental companies and head south towards Amstelveen and the beautiful Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest). You can also rent bikes at the entrance to the Amsterdamse Bos, as well as canoes for a view of the forest from the water. In Amstelveen, pay a visit to the famous Cobra Museum (www. cobra-museum.nl) or the smaller Jan van der Togt Museum (www.jvdtogt. nl). Continue on to Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, a picturesque village established in the 12th Century on the River Amstel. The banks of the Amstel are bustling with fantastic cafés and restaurants with sunny waterside terraces. After you’ve refuelled, visit the Netherlands’ oldest Jewish cemetery, Beth Haim. The route back to Amsterdam is lovely; in no time at all you’ll be cycling past grazing cows and elegant country houses. Brochures of the different cycle routes are available from the I amsterdam Visitor Centre at Stationsplein.

LEISURE LAKES Just outside Amsterdam, you’ll find a number of lakes perfect for a day of fun on the water. Rent a sailing boat, electric boat, canoe or surfboard to explore, enjoy and relax. The Loosdrechtse Plassen (Loosdrecht Lakes) are particularly suitable for water sports: sailing, rowing, canoeing, waterskiing and speed-boating are all possible. If taking a boat out yourself is not your thing, then join an excursion with a speedboat or sailing boat, or just relax on a terrace and admire the view from dry land. In Aalsmeer, the Westeinderplassen (West End Lakes) offer plenty of water sports options, from swimming to sailing lessons and boat rental. Everyone is welcome to moor their boat at Starteiland (Start Island). This area is famous for its horticultural industry, and the other small islands still grow strawberries and lilacs – just as they did long ago. You can discover more from the water (www.westeinderrondvaart.nl) or at the Historical Garden Aalsmeer (www.historischetuinaalsmeer.nl). The 50-metre-high, art-deco water tower is one of Aalsmeer’s showpieces. At the foot of the tower, restaurant Westeinder Paviljoen offers a breath-taking view of the lake and a perfect surf break.

www.vvvgooivecht.nl

TIP: With the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket you can travel 24 hours by bus, tram and metro in and around Amsterdam. You can also discover the Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot, the Historical Garden Aalsmeer, Museum Weesp and many more with your Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket. The ticket is available to buy from the I amsterdam Visitor Centres in Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport.

TIP: Your American Express Card is welcome across Amsterdam, from your favourite restaurants to your local retail shops. Wherever you go, remember to use your Card. It’s welcome in all kinds of places.

HISTORICAL RIVER ESTATES Take a trip south of the city and enjoy the grandeur and nature of the historical river estates that dot the banks of the River Vecht. Winding between Amsterdam and Utrecht, the River Vecht is a wonderful setting for a boat trip or bike ride. Both offer unimpeded views of the imposing castles – such as Nyenrode Castle and Castle-Museum Sypesteyn – country houses and accompanying tearooms. Wealthy Golden Age merchants once spent their summer months here. The holidaymakers ‘only’ needed five to seven hours to reach their rural residences. Thankfully, it’s much quicker nowadays!

CLOSING

THEN AND NOW THE AMSTERDAM ILLUSTRATORS

Tracing the city’s history, one image at a time. text Marie-Charlotte Pezé

then & now

THE TURRET OF THE SHIP IN THE ZAANSTRAAT SEEN FROM WESTERPARK (2015) BY PAUL DE REUS

E CRTI

JOSEPH HAYDN, B’ROCK ORCHESTRA, COLLEGIUM VOCALE GENT, JULIAN ROSEFELDT

Fifteen artists, fifteen ways to look at Amsterdam. Between 2014 and 2016, these local artists, including Hamid el Kanbouhi, Paul de Reus, Dieuwke Spaans and Arie Schippers were commissioned by the City Archives and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts to share their vision of our city, and document it for future generations in a different way. The exhibition is a fascinating outlook into the process that goes from observation to imagination, from what attracts and inspires the eye of different artists to the fantasies and interpretations that result from their work, including the details, the little treasures, which we don’t notice or which we take for granted, but which define a place. The result is that a new image of the city emerges from all their combined and complementary talents, where yet it remains Amsterdam, with its pavement patterns, its lively bustle, its famous landmarks. The project is a lively and creative way to document a city: contemporary and yet timeless.

Haydn’s classical masterpiece with accompanying film. 13-14 June, Nationale Opera & Ballet

RL EMIES

amsterdam 4 – 26 june

ÇA I (1) FIN DE LUIS JOËL POMMERAT, COMPAGNIE LOUIS BROUILLARD Meaningful and moving political drama. 11-12 June, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam Language: French with Dutch and English surtitles

L IVAL PMS KRONOS QUARTET, BEN FOLDS & YMUSIC, RADIO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA A.O.

international performing arts

DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY

From 27 May Amsterdam City Archives www.stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl

Jazz innovator Argue and his 18-piece big band dive into contemporary conspiracy theory. 23-24 June, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam

Six concerts by world class artists in one day at the Concertgebouw, standing tickets for only € 10 per concert. 25 June, Het Concertgebouw

FULL PROGRAMME AND TICKETS: HOLLANDFESTIVAL.NL

CLOSING

ON THE WAY

OUT

We asked people leaving Schiphol Airport for their Amsterdam advice.

text & photos Marie-Charlotte Pezé

on the way out

MARIETTA NIENHAUS, 25, FROM GERMANY ‘My local friends took me out for hapjes, and I loved that genuine Amsterdam feeling - cold beer accompanied by a plate of bitterballen is the best.’

ADAM KOSS AND DUNCAN KREEG, 32, FROM LONDON ‘A perfect day in Amsterdam is a visit to the Bulldog coffeeshop and then a pit stop at Manneken Pis for some fries, at any time of the day or night, before exploring the city.’

MAHER YAQOUT, 31, RESTAURANT WORKER FROM SWEDEN ‘I’m originally from Yemen, so it was a really nice surprise to find that my favourite Arabic foods, such as shawarmas and falafels, were so delicious and authentic throughout the city, even at cheap kebab stands.’

SHEEL JAIN AND HIS FRIEND, 42, BUSINESSMEN FROM INDIA ‘I can’t recommend the I amsterdam Card enough. It gives you access to all the best entertainment the city has to offer – and free public transport! It’s the first thing we got when we arrived and it was a really good decision.’

GABRIELLE COSEL, 36, DRUG RELATIONS WORKER FROM WASHINGTON D.C. ‘Honestly, the best way to enjoy the city is to simply sit by a canal with a good beer and some friends.’

editor-in-chief Bart van Oosterhout art director & basic design Loes Koomen designer Zlatka Siljdedic deputy editor Marie-Charlotte Pezé proofreader Julia Gorodecky contributors Lauren Comiteau, Karin Engelbrecht, Catalina Iorga, Elisah Jacobs, Bregtje Schudel, Mark Smith, Monique Wijbrands/ Saltystock listings EdenFrost (Tamar Bosschaart, Steven McCarron & Sarah Gehrke), Christiaan de Wit cover illustration Gemma Pauwels/Saltystock

www.gassan.com

May - June — Language no problem — For a complete overview: operaballet.nl

Dutch National Opera presents

Dutch National Ballet presents

DON GIOVANNI

TRANSATLANTIC

7 – 29 May

11 – 26 June

— Ballet with a shot of adrenalin

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart —

Dutch National Ballet presents

THE LITTLE BIG CHEST

JUNIOR COMPANY

3 – 8 May

12 May Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam

— Kids 4 – 6 years

Ballet Bubbles — Ballet talent on stage!

Dutch National Opera presents

THEATRE OF THE WORLD Louis Andriessen —

11 – 19 June, Royal Theatre Carré

Nederlands Dans Theater presents

Dutch National Opera presents

Dutch National Ballet presents

—

Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski —

— New Young Makers

11 – 14 May

9 June – 3 July

SHECHTER LIGHTFOOT & LEÓN

PIQUE DAME

NEW MOVES 24 June