Tonight, March 25, the Amsterdam concert hall Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ hosts the première of Life, a collaboration between Dutch composer Louis Andriessen and the New York Carnegie Hall.
Andriessen has written a new musical composition that will be performed in Amsterdam by Bang on a Can All Stars, the famous contemporary music group from New York. Next month, Bang on a Can will also perform Life in Carnegie Hall.
Andriessen, who was born in the Dutch town of Utrecht in 1939, has composed operas, and music for both film and theatre productions. His work is deeply influenced by minimalists such as Terry Riley and Steve Reich. His compositions have been performed all over the world. In this video, Andriessen talks about how his style has developed through the years.
Besides being a composer, Andriessen is also teacher. These days, he is mostly to be found at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, but in the past Andriessen also lectured at Princeton University, The California Institute of Arts and Yale University.
In 2006, The Low Countries Yearbook looked back on Andriessen’s career.
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