Louis Andriessen

Dutch composer Louis Andriessen was born into a family of musicians in 1939. His father, Hendrik Andriessen, was a major figure in modern Dutch music, but his brothers and uncle were also composers. He began his studies with his father and later studied with Kees van Baaren and Luciano Berio. He tried the major 20th century musical movements before finding his own compositional voice: his early works are neoclassical and serial, but he also wrote minimalist music. He experimented with mixing recorded and live soundtracks and pushed the boundaries of the symphony orchestra until he stopped working for the traditional set completely. He often used electric guitar, bass and synthesizer for his mixed line-ups. He founded first the Orkest de Volharding and later the ensemble Hoketus to perform his own works. His strange formations and ideas inspired like-minded composers and attracted a young audience. He also worked in theatre and film music. The big breakthrough (and the awards) came with his choral work De Staat, using ancient Greek scales and Greek text. His other major works include Workers Union, Il Principe, Hoketus and La Commedia. Andriessen died in 2021 as the most important representative of contemporary Dutch music.