Image de Moreau Box of Piano Scores

At the end of 2009 the publishing department of Muziek Centrum Nederland (MCN) produced a box with nine piano works (scores) by Louis Andriessen selected by himself. These pieces give a representative overview of more than forty years of composing. The front of the box contains Gustave Moreau painting 'Dalila'. Pieces are: Image de Moreau, Base, Etude Pour Les Timbres, Trois Pieces, Caecilia's Contrapunt, Ricercare, Trepidus, Feli-citazione, Blokken. The box does not contain CDs, as I first mistakenly thought.


More info here.
 

Interview with Andriessen on "La Commedia", Part I

An interview with Louis Andriessen on film opera "La Commedia" (2008, in collaboration with filmmaker Hal Hartley). Conversation took place on March 10, 2009 in Andriessen's studio in Amsterdam. I asked him about place of opera in the age of media, using musical language of romanticism, corruption of the music world, love, philosophy, Dante, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch, singing voice and gender.
"La Commedia" will have its American premiere in April this year in Carnegie Hall.

La Commedia Trailer

was recently published on Youtube by De Nederlandse Opera (also see: The Plot, Team and Cast, Photographs etc.)

2009 in Review

(Photo of Amsterdam I made in March 2009)
This is a bit of Andriessen Year-in-Review:
Recordings:
"Garden of Eros" by Attacca Records
"La Passione" by BMOP/sound

Scores
Image de Moreau Box by MCN

Premieres:
The Hague Hacking
Christiaans Andriessens uitzicht op de Amstel

Festivals/Concerts:
Andriessen@70, Music on Main, March, Vancouver
Louis Andriessen - Jongensjaren, May, The Hague
Birthday concerts on June 6 (Nocturnen, The Hague Hacking, Vermeer Pictures, La Passione), Amsterdam

Looking forward:
Carnegie Hall Residency
Louis Andriessen has been appointed to hold the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall for the 2009-2010 season. Celebrating his 70th birthday in 2009, Andriessen will have works performed by longtime champions, including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Asko/Schoenberg ensemble, Reinbert de Leeuw, and John Adams, as well as protégés and recent muses such as Greetje Bijma, Martijn Padding, and Christina Zavalloni. Spring performances at Carnegie Hall will feature key Andriessen works in their New York premieres, other works by Andriessen as well as composers he has mentored, and a series of intimate late-night concerts devoted to improvisational music—a key influence on the composer himself.  Program details here.

Composer of the Year 2010

Louis Andriessen has been named Musical America Composer of the Year 2010 in November. On December 14 he was in New York City for the official Musical America awards ceremony at Lincoln Center:



Other 2010 honorees are: Joshua Bell - Instrumentalist of the Year, Elina Garanca - Vocalist of the Year, Warren Jones - “Collaborative Pianist” of the Year, conductor Riccardo Muti - Musician of the Year.

Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed's article on Andriessen retrospects his art and life.

From one of Jongensjaren concerts in The Hague, May 2009.

Andriessen on Andriessen Documentary

Boosey and Hawkes anounces new documentary on Andriessen directed by Tommy Pearson of Red Ted Films.
The video combines an interview filmed at Andriessen's apartment in Amsterdam with extracts from key works including De Staat, M is for Man, Music, Mozart, and Writing to Vermeer.

See here.