Louis Andriessen (1939 - 2021)

[Roslynmuse]

Deeply saddened to read of Andriessen's passing today. Some of his works from the 1970s and 1980s are simply masterpieces - De Staat, De Materie, De Tijd, Mausoleum - and many of the very early pieces have a real beauty and already an individual voice, if rather different to that which he developed in the works mentioned above. Others may have enjoyed the more recent pieces more than I, but there was always something of interest in his work. I shall be choosing a playlist this evening in his memory.

[Mandryka]

Same week as Rzewski.

His style changed significantly in the last ten years, he started to get interested in lyricism I think. Here's Mysteries (2013)

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=491540911934412

Probably not a masterpiece, but I have a soft spot for The nine symphonies of Beethoven for orchestra and ice cream bell, probably because of my irrational psychotic negativity towards Boring van Beethoven

[edashtav]

Deeply saddened to read of Andriessen's passing today. Some of his works from the 1970s and 1980s are simply masterpieces - De Staat, De Materie, De Tijd, Mausoleum - and many of the very early pieces have a real beauty and already an individual voice, if rather different to that which he developed in the works mentioned above. Others may have enjoyed the more recent pieces more than I, but there was always something of interest in his work. I shall be choosing a playlist this evening in his memory.

I concur: a sad week for music.

[Roslynmuse]

Same week as Rzewski.

His style changed significantly in the last ten years, he started to get interested in lyricism I think. Here's Mysteries (2013)

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=491540911934412

Probably not a masterpiece, but I have a soft spot for The nine symphonies of Beethoven for orchestra and ice cream bell, probably because of my irrational psychotic negativity towards Boring van Beethoven

There was a documentary on TV in the mid-90s that featured this piece; I've probably still got it on a a mouldering VHS somewhere...

Interesting, thinking about lyricism and Andriessen - even in De Staat, as well as the pumping rhythms there is a sense of melody - not there all the time, but definitely a presence. I think it's the joy in such a lot of his music that is so infectious.

[Richard Barrett]

A personal memory I posted elsewhere:

I first came across the music of Louis Andriessen (1939-2021) on holiday in Amsterdam in 1979 when I set myself the task to collect a representative selection of Dutch contemporary composition on LP. This included his "De Staat" which was certainly the most memorable of the items I picked up then. I was introduced to Louis in 1985 by Steve Martland, with whom I was staying in Rotterdam at the time - in the meantime I'd got to know much more of his music, of which "De Tijd" and "Hoketus" had a particularly strong and lasting effect - and during that conversation Louis asked me if I'd like to catsit for him for a couple of weeks while he was away in Hungary. So there I was with an eye-popping selection of scores and recorded music and a beautiful workspace, not to mention two grand pianos, on the basis of the briefest acquaintance. That's the kind of person he was. After I moved to Amsterdam a few years later he was always generous and supportive. Since I left there in 2001 we lost touch, but I've always been grateful for that. And for a lot of the music too, of course.

[Roslynmuse]

Wonderful memory, Richard.

[oddoneout]

Hearing this news yesterday prompted me to fish out my LP of Doctor Nero, and I'll give it a long overdue spin this weekend.
There is a secondhand personal connection here as a family member was asked to be one of the players and found it an interesting and rewarding experience playing an early music/baroque instrument in contemporary music. It amused me when, decades later, surprise was expressed at son's wish to have a viol to play in his definitely modern band...