Born: 1939, Utrecht, Netherlands

“I believe total abstraction leads to the death of music, which likes to be surrounded by other worlds such as those of theater, love, or God.”

Born into a musical family, Louis Andriessen received the early influences of Stravinsky and jazz from his older brother Jurriaan. He studied with Luciano Berio in the mid-’60s and wrote pieces that drew on the styles and techniques of European modernism, before he began responding to American minimalism in the 1970s. He creates music of great energy and unusual color from spare materials, often exploring political and social issues, as well as aspects of physics, such as time and velocity. He began to teach composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (his alma mater) in 1973, and also has lectured widely in the U.S.

Further listening:

De Staat (1974), Racconto dall’Inferno (2004)
Cristina Zavalloni; Synergy;
Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Reinbert de Leeuw
(DG Concerts download)

Workers Union (1975), Zilver (1994)
California EAR Unit (New Albion)