The new Louis Andriessen Platform has made the legacy of composer Louis Andriessen digitally accessible. Louis Andriessen, considered by many to be the greatest Dutch composer since Sweelinck, passed away three years ago. To preserve his important legacy and make it widely accessible, the Louis Andriessen Platform has been established. This ‘digital treasury’ was presented at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam during the concert Goede Maten in honor of Andriessen and his friend and colleague Misha Mengelberg.
The Platform is an initiative of the Louis Andriessen Foundation, which includes Andriessen’s widow, violinist Monica Germino, and composer, writer, and good friend Elmer Schönberger. It is a digital hotspot where enthusiasts and professionals can find information about Andriessen’s work and ideas. The Platform makes visible what is in the archives of Stichting Omroep Muziek, Beeld & Geluid, Nederlands Muziek Instituut, and Allard Pierson. Andriessen’s UK publisher, Boosey & Hawkes, and Donemus Publishing also share information directly on the Platform, such as a current performance agenda.
Mirjam Zegers, the curator and project leader of the Platform who was Andriessen’s personal assistant for decades, described the project as a “huge job.” The intention was to preserve Andriessen’s library, which contains around four thousand books often full of notes, valuable information for performers and musicologists. The project aims to show the content of Andriessen’s manuscripts, which were sold to the Paul Sacher Stiftung in 2007, and to focus on the oral history surrounding Andriessen’s work and the great wealth in Dutch archives.
The Platform, a work in progress, includes a biography, photos, articles, and a calendar. The heart of the platform is a complete works list, with sound samples from Muziekweb, excerpts from Andriessen’s manuscripts, scores, and work notes written by Andriessen himself. In addition to being a masterful composer, Andriessen was a very good writer, often witty and sharp in his formulations.
Donemus contributed with metadata on 40+ works and samples of the scores.
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