This album, titled "Tales of song and sadness," is a tribute to the friendships formed over decades between the composer Louis Andriessen, conductor Frans Brüggen, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, and Cappella Amsterdam.
Composition History
Louis Andriessen's piece "May" was commissioned by the musicians of the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century as a tribute to his friend Frans Brüggen, who died in 2014.
Composer Biography
Louis Andriessen completed his tribute to Frans Brüggen, "May," just before Alzheimer's disease made composing impossible in 2019.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Both Frans Brüggen and Louis Andriessen shared an aversion to the contrived propriety of music-making, seeking freedom and constructive impudence in their art.
Compositional Technique
Andriessen's "May" uses a classical instrumentation with added tubular bells, glockenspiel, and fortepiano, and features an alto recorder alternating with the second flute.
Composer Biography
Louis Andriessen (1939-2021), one of the most influential post-World War II composers, and recorder player/conductor Frans Brüggen (1934-2014) knew each other from a young age in Amsterdam.
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