Overview

Louis Andriessen is one of the foremost composers in the world today. His music, with its distinctive blend of jazz, minimalism, Stravinsky and the European avant-garde, has attracted wide audiences internationally and made him a sought-after teacher among younger generations of composers. De Staat ('The Republic') brought Andriessen to international attention in 1976, and it remains his best-known work. This book is the first extended, single-author study of Andriessen in any language. It opens with a detailed account of Andriessen's involvement in the political upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s which formed the basis for his later views on instrumentation and musical style. The following chapters assess the principal influences on his music and the musical structure of De Staat. The book closes with an extensive discussion of the meaning of De Staat in the light of the composer's firmly held socio-political views. The downloadable resources include a thrilling live recording of De Staat from the 1978 Holland Festival, plus two earlier works not previously commercially available on compact disc - De Volharding and Il Principe.

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9780754609254

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Reviews

'Adlington's guide to De Staat is admirably thorough and readable, a first rate example of its genre. He makes good use of commentary from its notoriously provocative composer-critic, without in any way relinquishing his own perspective. Complex, integrative analytical points are deftly made without excess jargon, at a level accessible to any dedicated amateur. But it is in the interpretive chapter that Adlington really shines: I have seldom read a more subtle, flexible reading of a late twentieth-century work. Adlington's account of the work's complex and dialectical relation to American minimalism - a style that has generated much polemical oversimplification in Europe - is especially welcome on these shores.'Robert Fink, Associate Professor of Musicology, University of California, Los Angeles '...this book takes an approach that is both novel and compelling... Recommended.' Choice Reviews '... Adlington has crafted a [...] satisfying and coherent book...' www.echo.ucla.org 'With admirable consistency of treatment, close analysis is combined with historical and social context, and where appropriate, literary discussion. The texts themselves are enhanced by extensive and clearly printed musical illustrations and, as a helpful bonus, CDs of the music come too... well presented study...' The Musical Times 'The accompanying CD is a treasure. This contains a 1978 live performance of De Staat by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, never before issued on compact disc...Adlington is a clear-sighted analyst, who writes with uncommon lucidity and perception' MusicWeb International 'Adlington has crafted a [...] satisfying and coherent book...' www.humnet.ucla.edu

Author Information

Dr Robert Adlington is a Lecturer in Music at the University of Nottingham, UK

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