Louis Andriessen never saw minimalism as sober or boring. The Dutch composer, who died in 2021, wrote exuberant music driven by momentum that appeals directly to the senses and dances voluptuously on the edge of convention. I SOLISTI commemorate this giant of the Low Countries, who would have turned 85 this year, in a cinematic double bill. The activist piece Workers’ Union dates from 1975: almost half a century later, this pamphlet with stamping rhythms that insist on better working conditions for factory workers has lost none of its power. A freer but no less urgent piece is M is for Man, Mozart, Music (1991): a tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus, 200 years after his birth. Peter Greenaway’s film is a hilarious postmodern collage, and Andriessen’s score a striking salvo of brass and saxophones. Two Trumpets Descending, a work that I SOLISTI commissioned from Andriessen’s student, colleague and close friend Martijn Padding, brings this uncommon salute to a fitting close.
Program
L. Andriessen: Workers’ Union | L. Andriessen/P. Greenaway: M is for Man, Mozart, Music | M. Padding: Two Trumpets Descending
Performers
Laura Bohn, soprano | I SOLISTI | Martijn Dendievel, musical director
