Louis Andriessen was born in Utrecht on 6 June 1939 and died on 1 July 2021.
After early training in composition with his father, composer Hendrik Andriessen, he continued his studies with Kees van Baaren at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Andriessen received the grand composition prize upon graduation and subsequently studied for two years with Luciano Berio in Milan (1962-63) and Berlin (1964-65).
Through his compositions and as a performer of his own and others' work, Louis Andriessen had established himself as a leading musical figure. Since 1978, he held an appointment as a composition teacher at the Royal Conservatory.
Besides his direct musical and related activities, he also co-authored, with music critic and musicologist Elmer Schönberger, the book on Igor Stravinsky, The Apollonian Clockwork.
In this episode a talk with Pete Harden, who was a student of Louis Andriessen.
During the Minimal Music Festival in Amsterdam, a day was dedicated to Mapping Andriessen. The appropriate opportunity to speak to 3 people who knew Louis Andriessens well.
The first is Elmer Schönberger. Writer, composer, musicologist released as recently as March the work "'Keten & Stompen'. A moving In Memoriam.
The second is Joey Marijs. A Dutch percussionist, from Slagwerkgroep den Haag.
These both can be heard in the first episode.
Pete Harden (UK, 1979) is a composer and musician whose work has been called “intriguing”, “fierce, exciting” as well as conjuring “a subtle three-dimensional landscape” (De Volkskrant). In 2003, having completed studies with Louis Andriessen and Richard Ayres at the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, he was a founding member of Ensemble Klang, for whom he is electric guitarist and artistic director. As a composer his work seeks out new forms and structures, marrying conceptually rigorous content with rich sonic environments. He has had works commissioned and performed by, among others, the Netherlands Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Bang on a Can All-stars (New York), Maud le Pladec Dance Company (France), Slagwerk Den Haag, NorrbottenNEO (Sweden), Saskia Lankhoorn, Marco Blaauw, and Trio Scordatura. As a guitarist he has performed with leading contemporary music ensembles including ASKO | Schönberg, Red Note Ensemble (UK) and i Solisti (Belgium). For the 2017-18 season he was artist-in-residence for the Red Sofa Series in De Doelen Concert Hall in Rotterdam. Recent years have seen a strong focus on interdisciplinary productions, particularly theatre and dance. In 2017-18 he performed in Ivo van Hove’s production Network, at the National Theatre, London – and in the same season he worked closely with the French choreographer Maud le Pladec, writing the music for the hour-long production 27 Perspectives.