The New York Philharmonic deeply mourns the passing of Louis Andriessen (1939–2021), the groundbreaking composer and recipient of The Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music in 2016. The Orchestra honored the Dutch composer in 2018 through the multi-week The Art of Andriessen. Anticipating that celebration, which included the World Premiere of Agamemnon, a Philharmonic commission, Music Director Jaap van Zweden said: “Louis Andriessen is one of my heroes, and I am honored that he has written a piece for my first year with the New York Philharmonic, particularly because he has not written for orchestra for many years.” The musicians will long remember his brilliance and warmth, and extend condolences to his family and friends.
(Photo by Chris Lee: Louis Andriessen bowing after Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic premiered his Agamemnon, October 2018; video of a selection from Andriessen’s Symphony for Open Strings conducted by van Zweden on October 7, 2018)
