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Louis Andriessen (b. 1939)





  1. An Interview with Louis Andriessen (July 30, 1979)

    Charles Amirkhanian and Robert Hughes interview the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen in July of 1979. Andriessen is a third generation Dutch composer, whose work has been strongly influenced by his socialist politics. In this interview he discusses his work with two Dutch ensembles with leftist leanings and how in such a situation even a conductor is considered too authoritarian. The three also talk about the role the Dutch Government plays in financing the arts and how that differs from the situation in the United States. In addition, Andriessen describes three of his works, "Hoketus", "Symphony for Open Strings", and "Mausoleum"; what it was like to grow up in a family of famous composers; and how his politics influence what commissions he accepts and what type of ensembles he writes for.


  2. The Music of Louis Andriessen (January 13, 1984), Part 1

    From a program originally broadcast on January 13, 1984, Charles Amirkhanian introduces avant-garde Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, and talks with him about his work “Velocity,” which had just been premiered by the San Francisco Symphony, where it was received with distrust by many of the more traditionally inclined members of the audience. In defense of his work Andriessen points out that unlike some American composers of minimal or repetitive music who according to Andriessen began to write more consonant music after gaining some acceptance among audiences, the Dutch composer’s works will remain true to his radical viewpoint. Also discussed in this highly informative and far ranging interview is the the varying availability of venues for avant-garde jazz and classical music in Europe and the United States, and a comparison between the work of Schoenberg, who Andriessen states was the last of the Romantics, and that of Stravinsky, the first of the modern composers. Amirkhanian also gets the Dutch composer to relate the story of how in the late 1960s a number of youth interested in increased support for avant-garde jazz and classical music disrupted a performance at the Concertgebouw with toy frogs. The program concludes with Andriessen talking about his efforts with the politically minded ensemble Orkest de Volharding, and with Russ Jennings quizzing him about what it means to be a composer of radical political music.


  3. Speaking of Music: Louis Andriessen (January 11, 1984)

    During this session of the Speaking of Music series formerly held at San Francisco's Exploratorium, Louis Andriessen discusses his works and plays excerpts for the audience. Selections heard include "On Jimmy Yancey", and "Hoketus".



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Louis Andriessen in UbuWeb Film