After previous explorations of subjects including the financial world, the Middle East and populism, Luyendijk now turns to a more personal topic: giftedness. A diagnosis he received only a few years ago, bringing both recognition and new questions.

What does it mean to experience the world more intensely, to have an insatiable hunger for understanding, while at the same time often feeling different or alone? Together with Calefax, Luyendijk explores giftedness through words and music, examining its interaction with people who are not gifted.

Calefax connects his stories with music by composers including Bach and Nancarrow, both known for their rich imagination and masterful structures. The result is a unique performance in which personal experiences, reflection and music reinforce one another.

"One of the advantages of giftedness is that when you understand something and truly grasp it, you soar. The susceptibility to profound beauty, the intensity of being... I would not want to be without it."
– Joris Luyendijk in NRC