Writing to Vermeer by Saskia Boddeke & Peter Greenaway

Women and the letters they write form the theme of Writing to Vermeer. The Delft painter has traveled to The Hague, and the women and children in the Vermeer household have to live without him for a fortnight. His wife, Catharina Bolnes, his mother-in-law, Maria Thins, and his model, Saskia de Vries, each write six letters in which they tell him about domestic matters, the fortunes of the children, wedding plans and minor domestic incidents. But what they mainly want to let Vermeer know is that he must come home soon. Because they miss him and his affection. While Vermeer is absent, the women have to defend their household against the potentially undermining effect of five liquids: ink, with excessive writing; varnish, which endangers the life of one of the children; milk that flows endlessly from the milkmaid's jug; blood, which is shed during cruel political murders, and finally water, ultimately washing away the women, their household, their children, and the whole scene. To hinder the advance of the French, the Dutch flooded part of their land in 1672. The attack was repelled, but the price to be paid for this was very high, because the hitherto so prosperous Republic was financially exhausted. The Golden Age of Dutch culture had come to an end, and the harmony and serenity so strikingly depicted in Vermeer's paintings were definitely a thing of the past.

  • World Premiere: Netherlands Opera, 1999

  • Adelaide festival, 2000

  • New York State Theatre, 2000

  • Revival Netherlands Opera, 2004

Although Johannes Vermeer is the main character of this musical theater piece, the painter never actually appears on the scene. Three women each write six letters to the Delft artist, which mainly concern all kinds of small personal concerns. But these domestic letters are always contrasted with historical events in the Holland of that time, such as the great fire of Delft and the battle between Catholics and Protestants. Images inspired by these shocking events flood the stage filmically. At the end of the evening it will become clear whether and, if so, to what extent political life "outside" influences the "serenity" of the characters. According to the current state of research into the authenticity of the paintings by Johannes Vermeer, the oeuvre of this Dutch painter has about 34 works, a modest production given his fame as one of the greatest artists of the Dutch Golden Age and as master of the homely peace and harmony. Women are the main theme of his paintings - drinking women, women playing a musical instrument and, most intriguingly, women who write, read and receive letters. They are depicted with controlled distance, standing or sitting in typical Dutch interiors, dignified and relaxed. The tranquility emanating from these canvases is enticing, especially when we consider that violent political and religious conflicts were going on outside those windows and outside those living rooms, and that in the 1970s Holland was also the target of attacks by both French and English sides. It remains a mystery that Vermeer was able to create an oeuvre in this extremely turbulent period that is a model of domestic serenity and harmony.

Credits

Directed by
Saskia Boddeke

Libretto
Peter Greenaway

Music
Louis Andriessen

Conducted by
Reinbert de Leeuw

Decor / Light Design
Michael Simon

Costumes
Emi Wada

Dramaturgie
Klaus Bertisch

Music inserts
Michel van der Aa

Video
Peter Wilms

Koor
Vocaal ensemble

Samenstelling en coaching
Winfried Maczewski

Kinderkoor
Muziekschool Waterland

Coaching
Jan Maarten Koeman

Cast

Catharina Bolnes
Susan Narucki (zang), Sanna Myllylahti, Rikke Rasmussen

Maria Thins
Susan Bickley (zang), Gwen Langenberg, Marcelle van der Velden

Saskia de Vries
Barbara Hannigan (zang), Kelly Hirina, Gabrielle Uetz

Melkmeid
Ulrike Kinbach, Camilla Marienhof, Irene van Geest

Bediende  
Helena Lizari, Iara Rodrigues Ferreira, Naiara Mendioroz

Kinderen (dans) 
Shira Koopman, Andra Perrin, Tamarah Tossey

Kinderen (zang) 
Brenda van Duijkeren, Wendy van Epen, Jan Kistemaker, Jacob Schroevers

Vocaal Ensemble
Melanie Greve, Tomoko Makuuchi, Marjolein Niels, Violet Serena Noorduijn, Martine Straesser, Marijje van Stralen

Music

ASKO | Schönberg Ensemble