The Death of Klinghoffer

musical director/conductor Michael Christie
directors Mirjam Koen, Gerrit Timmers
choreography Ton Lutgerink
set design Gerrit Timmers
soloists Annett Andriesen, Kirsten Blase, Kamel Boutros, Hubert Claessens, Janet Collins, Scott Hendricks, John Packard, Herbert Perry, Ruby Philogene, Tom Randle, Vivian Tierney and a chorus (training by Andrew Wise)

‘The direction, by Mirjam Koen and Gerrit Timmers (who also created the fantastic, suggestive sets), does Adams’ and Goodman’s masterpiece more than justice. It is not only that it is the first time this grandiose opera has been seen in the Netherlands. It is also one of the best productions we have seen in this country in years. Together with marvelous singers and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - at the top of its form under Michael Christie - Koen and Timmers have created searing, penetrating images. The opera is packed with unforgettable images, accompanied by the grandiose, expressive, and sometimes bloodcurdling music. Go see this cruel, artistically magnificent appeal for peace!’
(Algemeen Dagblad, Doron Nagan)

‘The signature of the directing duo Mirjam Koen and Gerrit Timmers is very recognizable: their thematic understanding, their somewhat abstract designs, their always-present human scale. These Rotterdam theatre artists do not indulge in scenic overkill. The simplicity of their visual language, together with the poignant text and the fascinating, mysterious music, are deeply impressive.’
(Haagsche Courant, Aad van der Ven)

‘The opera is packed with of unforgettable images, accompanied by the grandiose, expressive, and sometimes bloodcurdling music, like the dead Klinghoffer’s aria. He sings about the abandoned furniture of the murdered Jews, and then we see furniture from the old, disappeared Jewish world hanging in the air like bodies - wardrobes, chairs, beds, a divan.’
(Algemeen Dagblad)