Customer Reviews

Andriessen: De Staat

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Far less cumbersome and more concise than De Materie and perhaps the most incisively poingant and subversive of Andriessen's large open-form essays in minimalism, De Staat is both a modern political satire on Plato's Republic and a simultaneous exploration of just how on-the-mark Plato was in observing music's power to move the masses. To Plato that (affect, that is) was a menace to be quenched in the ideal state; to Andriessen it is a joy to be explored, such that he takes us on a musical voyage through a sequence of modal and derived tetrachords, each with its own conjured mood, that has both set-theorists and pop/rock fans alike tapping their feet. True, some listeners may find this fortissimo, brash approach to minimalism a bit tiring after 30 minutes--but I am not one of those people. Even if you buy it to hear it once, you should check this one out!

-- Justin Laird Weaver

Justin hits the mark in his review. Some might find it a bit brash at first, but when the electric bass comes in on it's lowest note in the "flying volkswagon" section they'll know what they waited three weeks and had their order split into forty-seven parts for.

De Staat by Dutch minimalist (a monicker that doesn't actually fit him so well, he's so much more than 'merely' a minimalist) Louis Andriessen is surely one of the true masterpieces of late 20th century music.

This recording by Reinbert de Leeuw and the Schoenberg Ensemble was long the only readily available recording of the work. As fine as it was, and the fact it made available to listeners this fantastic work, it was not without its fluffed notes and moments of ensemble instability. And now, shockingly, Elektra/Nonesuch have discontinued it. Criminal!

I write this review less to critique this particular recording than to bring to potential buyers' attention the existence of a recent recording by the Netherlands Blazers (Wind) Ensemble which is a vast improvement. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be represented here on Amazon. It is released on their own label, NBE Live: NBECD022. Check out their website, info@nbe.nl. Maybe try Amazon UK.

NBE's performance is live and far more accurate and even more nuanced. Perhaps it lacks some of the raw visceral qualities of de Leeuw's recording, but it is still powerful, biting and in-your-face. If you can track it down, I HIGHLY recommend it.

This album is outstanding! There really is nothing else like Andriessen's "De Staat". So many parts of this piece are incredibly incredible and outstandingly outstanding. It's brutal yet beautiful. It's hypnotic yet thought provoking."De Staat" is something that everyone should hear at least once. If there is a copy of this CD available and you are thinking of buying it, you should definitly buy a copy of this CD. You will not be dissapointed. Its really de thing to have.

Ummmmmmmm....... I think Will Burton (above) has attached his review to the wrong piece. 'De Staat' contains no monologue, no 'Boogie-Woogie Piano', and is utterly original and riveting. Will - please let us know which piece you really WERE reviewing. :)