There is
more to Dutch art than Rembrandt and one-eared neurotics, although there is
room for them as well. The evidence will be on show in
during the LOW Festival, a month-long showcase of Dutch and Flemish arts.
The
organisers say their aim is to “introduce contemporary Dutch and Flemish
culture to the Hungarian public, and to enhance, support and deepen artistic
cooperation between the
Flanders and
With this
in mind, they have roped in 500 artists, who will stage 100 performances in 20
venues around
There will be classical music, jazz and pop, theatre and film, as well as
modern Dutch and Flemish design and contemporary arts.
There will
be a multi-media presentation by the avant-garde British film maker Peter
Greenaway, best known for the 1989 art house flick The Cook, The Thief, His
Wife and Her Lover. For the LOW Festival, Greenaway – whose training as a
painter is evident in his approach to film making – will be presenting his
multimedia piece Rembrandt’s Mirror, which focuses on the Dutch master’s
personal life rather than his paintings. The musical theatre performance takes
place at 8pm on 18 February in the Millenáris Theatre, in
next to the Mammut shopping centre at Széna tér.
A huge
scale model of the
camp (above, centre) will fill the stage of the Trafó Contemporary Arts Theatre
(District IX, Liliom utca 41) on 22 and 23 February at 8pm. In the words of the
Dutch theatre collective behind the production, Hotel Modern: “The model of the
camp is brought to life onstage: thousands of three-inch-tall handmade puppets
represent the prisoners and their executioners. The actors move through the set
like giant war reporters, filming the horrific events with miniature cameras;
the audience becomes the witness.”
In their
inter-war heyday, big bands in
would go head to head in competitions of virtuosity. This idea lies behind “
Revisited”. During the performance, the 15-strong Tetzepi Bigtet (above left) –
billed as
ensemble – will take on the 14-member Flat Earth Society from
Expect brass to boom everything from swing to free jazz improvisation.
Hostilities commence at 7.30 on 17 February in the Béla Bartók National Concert
Hall in the new
of
Komor Marcell u. 1).
Saturday, 8
March is Children’s Day at the Millenáris Theatre from 10am to 6pm. The Dutch
dance troupe De Stilte (above right) promises to “take children out of their
concrete everyday world into the abstract world of the senses”. Their
performance – Madcap – is aimed at children from the age of four and up and
focuses on the themes of imagination, friendship and play.
The grand
opening of the festival is at 7.30pm on 15 February at the Arts Hall
(Műcsarnok) on Heroes’ Square. Among the dignitaries making speeches will be
H.R.H. Princess Margriet of the
The opening bash will be rounded off with a dance performance by the Budapest
Dance Theatre, choreographed by Neel Verdoorn.
An
information centre will be open in the Merlin Theatre (District V, Gerlóczy
utca 4, Tel. 317-9338) for the duration of the festival. Tickets can be booked
online at jegyelado.hu or in person in Libri bookshops and major Concert &
Media Kft. ticket offices. Further information in English is available at
www.lowfesztival.hu
Tickets
Concert & Media Kft. ticket offices
1091
Üllői út 11-13.
Tel: 455-9000
Open: Monday-Friday 10am-6pm
1145
Torontál u. 30.
Tel: 222-1313
Open: Monday-Thursday
am-2pm
