''De Materie'' (''Matter'') is a four-part vocal and orchestral work by Dutch composer
Louis Andriessen, written over the period 1984 to 1988.
[ Arnold Whittall, "CD Reviews: Material Issues" (June 1997). '' The Musical Times'', 138 (1852): pp. 38–39.] Robert Wilson directed the first staging of the
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
on 1 June 1989 at the
Muziektheater, Amsterdam, with James Doing, Wendy Hill, Beppie Blankert and Marjon Brandsma as the soloists at the premiere. In the US, part 2 of the work, "Hadewijch", was performed at the
Tanglewood Festival in 1994. The complete work received its first US performance in 2004 at
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...
, New York City. "Hadewijch" received its UK premiere at the 1993
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The UK premiere of the full work was at the
Meltdown Festival in 1994.
The work incorporates eclectic musical influences, ranging from
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
and
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...
to the old Netherlands chanson "
L'homme armé" and 20th-century
boogie-woogie.
The work opens with 144 iterations of the same chord played fortissimo (very loud) and features an extended solo for two large metal boxes played with hammers. The texts are both sung and spoken. The four sections of the work incorporate various texts, with the dates of composition of each section in parentheses:
* Part 1 ("De Materie", 1986–1987): the 1581 ''Plakkaat van Verlatinge'' (
Act of Abjuration), with a text on shipbuilding by
Nicolaes Witsen and the ''Idea Physicæ'' of
David van Goorle –
* Part 2 ("Hadewijch", 1987–1988): ''Zevende Visioen'' (Seventh Vision) by
Hadewijch –
* Part 3 ("''
De Stijl
De Stijl (, ; 'The Style') was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 by a group of artists and architects based in Leiden (Theo van Doesburg, Jacobus Oud, J.J.P. Oud), Voorburg (Vilmos Huszár, Jan Wils) and Laren, North Holland, Laren (Piet Mo ...
''", 1984–1985): text from ''The Principles of Plastic Mathematics'' by
M. H. J. Schoenmaekers, along with quotes by M. van Domselaer-Middelkoop about his friend, the Dutch painter
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (; 7 March 1872 – 1 February 1944), known after 1911 as Piet Mondrian (, , ), was a Dutch Painting, painter and Theory of art, art theoretician who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He w ...
–
* Part 4 (untitled): excerpts from two sonnets by
Willem Kloos, along with a passage from the diary of
Marie Curie
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.
She was List of female ...
and her
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
speech –
Recording
*
Nonesuch Records 7559-79367-2:
Susan Narucki, James Doing, Cindy Oswin, Gertrude Thoma; Members of the
Netherlands Chamber Choir;
AskoSchönberg;
Reinbert de Leeuw, conductor
References
External links
Work details Boosey & Hawkes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Materie, De
Operas by Louis Andriessen
Choral compositions
1988 operas
Dutch-language operas
Operas