Festival Septemer Me: Brieven aan Mondriaan

Holland Opera, Muzieksmederij

A song cycle of fictional letters to Piet Mondriaan, inspired by the correspondence between Piet Mondriaan and Willy Wentholt.

Piet Mondriaan wrote 22 letters to Willy Wentholt, a French language teacher from Amsterdam with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship for five years. More than most other letters, these contain details about the artist’s emotional life. In addition, these letters are important as an account of Mondrian’s second period as an artist in Paris, shortly after the First World War, and his development as a member of the De Stijl group. He seems to have thrown away the letters Willy Wentholt wrote to Mondriaan after reading them.

For writer Daantje Idelenburg and composer Niek Idelenburg, the lack of these letters was the reason to write fictitious letters. A kind of Voix Humaine where you don’t hear the other voice either.

The First World War is an important part of Amersfoort’s history. Thousands of Belgians were housed in Amersfoort. But the Spanish flu that struck Mondrian also comes painfully close to the situation in our current pandemic. But it is also the smaller emotional matters. For example, in one of his letters, Mondrian sincerely expresses his feelings, but Willy seems especially upset that he absolutely wants a marriage. And what about his nickname? Pete the invisible.

Letters to Mondriaan offers a fictional, but fact-based insight into the emotional world of Piet Mondriaan and Willy Wentholt.

This program is a part of music festival September Me.

In 2022 it will be 150 years ago that Piet Mondrian was born in Amersfoort. This anniversary is not to be missed!