In 'The Convex Looking-Glass', Hendrik Andriessen used a twelve-tone melody, its mirror, and retrograde to evoke the image of Alice in Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking-Glass'.
Composer Biography
Hendrik Andriessen was a versatile figure in Dutch musical life, serving as a composer, performer, teacher, author, conservatoire director, and professor of musicology.
Performer Biography
Jacob Nydegger, the pianist on this recording, is a native of San Antonio, Texas, who has won several piano competitions, including the Kuleshov International Piano Competition in 2018.
Historical Context
During World War II, Hendrik Andriessen was imprisoned for five months in Camp Sint Michielsgestel for refusing to cooperate with the German occupying forces.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hendrik Andriessen stated that he composed because he liked it and couldn't do it differently, not for the sake of being 'modern' or to propagate modern music.
Compositional Technique
Andriessen's First Piano Sonata, considered modern in the 1930s, uses dissonant harmonies based on fourths and fifths, bitonality, and chromaticism.
You might also enjoy...
John Hammerth : Piano Preludes, Vol. 2
Direct Contact
Marianne Ribbing spelar Holewa
Preisner: Piano Music
The Rascal and the Sparrow: Poulenc Meets Piaf
Sacre, G.: Serenade No. 2 / Chansons Enfantines / Piccolissima Serenade / 24 Preludes / Variations Sur Une Mazurka De Chopin
Fragments
Clusters: American Piano Explorations
Wenger, Lucy: Through an Open Window
Kirchner: Piano Sonatinas Nos. 1 & 3 - 3 Waltzes from Réflexe, Op. 76
Distinguished Performers, Series 3: Music On and Off the Keys
