In 2017, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam decided to join the Festival Theater na de Dam by releasing the opera 'For a Look or a Touch'. She invited Wim Trompert to direct. This production was repeated in 2018.
'For a look or a touch' is based on the 2000 documentary film 'Paragraph 175' by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
Read more about 'For a Look or a Touch':
In 2021 Dutch National Opera & Ballet decided to broadcast For a Look or a Touch. A new rehearsal period followed during which the production was adapted for video.
Read more about 'For a Look or a Touch', the movie:
Early Music
Prior to his engagement with the Dutch National Opera, Wim Trompert studied Dutch Linguistics and Literature at the University of Leiden for his bachelor's degree. He then moved to Utrecht to graduate in Theater Sciences at the University of Utrecht. Because of his interest in opera and music theatre, he attended lectures at both the Institute of Theater Sciences and the Music Sciences department (including lectures by Professor Paul Op de Coul).
His knowledge of both the old (Dutch) theater texts and the opera practice were particularly useful in the creation of productions such as 'Granida' and 'Adoratione dei Magi', 'Thijl' and 'Totentanz' (Dance of Death).
rehearsal with
Christianne Stotijn
for 'Pilgrim at the
gate of Idleness'
photo: Marco Borggreve
Producing an opera that has long been covered in dust is a time-consuming and risky undertaking. The Utrechtsch Studenten Concert showed courage and perseverance and realized with great success a series of performances of the opera Thijl (1940) by composer and resistance fighter Jan van Gilse.
The press reacted euphorically:
NRC: 'huge' and 'of music-historical importance', ****
De Volkskrant: 'spectacular', ****
Het Parool: 'a unique production that everyone should hear and see'
Read more about 'Thijl'
Alexander Oliver as Gad and
Bryan Jollie as Manfred
photo: Tonnie van Gessel
Aylin Sezer as Nele and
Maarten van Grootel as Death
photo: Marco Borggreve
Wim Trompert is now also well known in Europe. He has directed, among others, for the Nationale Reisopera 'Don Pasquale' and 'Lucia di Lammermoor' by Donizetti, for the Festival of Early Music in Utrecht 'L'Ipermestra' by Cavalli, for the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg in Brussels and the Operadagen Rotterdam 'Pilgrim at the Gate of Idleness'. He made his first Wagner direction in 2013 for the international Rheingold on the Rhine project, followed by 'Das Rheingold' in Canada. He built a name for himself with works from Renaissance and Baroque such as 'Granida' by P.C. Hooft. In 2018 he staged 'Thijl', the magnum opus by Jan van Gilse and 'Fidelio' by Ludwig von Beethoven. 2019 - 2021 Trompert created his first animation opera: Totentanz, based on the medieval painting cycle by Bernt Notke in Lübeck
photo: Marco Borggreve
Michael Wilmering as Papageno, Lilian Farahani as Papagena
and the children's choir of 'Singing at the Opera'
led by Emma Rekers as 40 cunning little vixens (Drei Knaben).
photo: Marco Borggreve
In two of his 2018 productions (Thijl and Fidelio) a Dance of Death played a significant role. When in Lübeck in early 2019, Trompert was introduced to the grand Totentanz Bernt Notke had painted in the Marienkirche in 1463, he immediately knew he wanted to bring this piece of lost heritage back to life again. His enthusiasm convinced video artist Monica Hernandez to join him, and for over two years now they have been collaborating non-stop on the realization of their animation project. Read more about Totentanz.
Wim Trompert, stage director
An important part of Wim Trompert's career as an opera director took place in Canada. Pacific Opera Victoria offered him his first major professional production in 2003: Alban Berg's 'Wozzeck'. It was the start of a long series of Canadian productions.
Two years long, like a hermit,
Wim Trompert
worked silently on his new project:
Totentanz