TODESFUGE — Nieuw Amsterdams Peil

Examining a monument of poetry

Please note: This concert was originally planned for May 3rd 2026, but has been moved due to unforseen circumstances. Ticketholders have been contacted.

Paul Celan was one of the most significant poets of the last century; his work sought to process, exorcise and commemorate the Holocaust. The poem Todesfuge, which has been set to music by many composers, is one of the highlights of his oeuvre. Celan didn’t want to be known as a ‘Holocaust poet’. You can also experience his work as something dark that lets the light in, or something heavy that, surprisingly, can be lifted. 
 
In the light of Remembrance Day (4 May), composer Boudewijn Tarenskeen invited actor Hans Dagelet and five musicians from Nieuw Amsterdams Peil to interpret this monument of poetry in their very own ways. Dagelet seeks to get to the heart of the poem. The musicians support his quest, sometimes as mantra-singing monks, at other times as variety artists. The composer’s projected drawings provide a visual reflection on the process.