View source for De Materie

{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
[[File:Opening Holland Festival het Koninklijk Paar in gesprek met Louis Andriessen (componist) en regisseur Robert Wilson, Bestanddeelnr 934-4642.jpg|thumb|First staging of ''De Materie'' (Amsterdam, 1989), with Robert Wilson, Louis Andriessen and Queen [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]] ]]
'''''De Materie''''' (''Matter'') is a four-part vocal and orchestral work by Dutch composer [[Louis Andriessen]], written over the period 1984 to 1988.<ref name="Whittall">[[Arnold Whittall]], "CD Reviews: Material Issues" (June 1997). ''[[The Musical Times]]'', '''138''' (1852): pp. 38–39.</ref> [[Robert Wilson (director)|Robert Wilson]] directed the first staging of the [[opera]] on 1 June 1989 at the [[Muziektheater]], Amsterdam, with James Doing, Wendy Hill, Beppie Blankert and Marjon Brandsma as the soloists at the premiere.<ref>{{Cite news| author=John Rockwell| author-link=John Rockwell| title=Robert Wilson Stages ''De Materie'', a New Opera | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/08/arts/review-music-robert-wilson-stages-de-materie-a-new-opera.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=8 June 1989 |access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> In the US, part 2 of the work, "Hadewijch", was performed at the [[Tanglewood]] Festival in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news| author=Alex Ross|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)| title=Tanglewood Series Gets a Change of Air in Its New Home | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/08/arts/music-review-tanglewood-series-gets-a-change-of-air-in-its-new-home.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=8 August 1994 | access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> The complete work received its first US performance in 2004 at [[Lincoln Center]], New York City.<ref>{{Cite news| author=[[Anthony Tommasini]]| title=A Dutch Modernist Unafraid to Fathom Matter and Spirit | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/arts/music-review-a-dutch-modernist-unafraid-to-fathom-matter-and-spirit.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=4 May 2004 | access-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> "Hadewijch" received its UK premiere at the 1993 [[Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival]].<ref>David Power, "Huddersfield 1993" (1994). ''[[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]'' (New Series), '''188''': p. 57.</ref> The UK premiere of the full work was at the [[Meltdown (festival)|Meltdown Festival]] in 1994.<ref>[[Ian Pace]], "First Performances: Meltdown Festival (2): The Rest" (September 1994). ''[[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]'' (New Series), '''190''': pp. 28–30.</ref>

The work incorporates eclectic musical influences, ranging from [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] and [[Igor Stravinsky]] to the old Netherlands chanson "[[L'homme armé]]" and 20th-century [[boogie-woogie]].<ref>{{cite journal
  |title = Louis Andriessen: Polity, Time, Speed, Substance
  |last = Wright
  |first = David
  |journal = [[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]
  |publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]
  |issn = 1478-2286
  |series = New Series
  |issue = 187
  |year = 1993
  |pages = 7–13
  |doi = 10.1017/S0040298200003235
 |jstor = 945180
  }}</ref> 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:<ref name="Wright">{{cite journal
  |title = ''Andriessen: De Materie'' by Schönberg Ensemble, Asko Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Reinbert de Leeuw, Louis Andriessen
  |last = Wright
  |first = David
  |journal = [[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]
  |publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]
  |issn = 1478-2286
  |series = New Series
  |issue = 201
  |year = 1997
  |pages = 59–60
  |jstor = 944709
  }}</ref>
* 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]] – {{Duration|m=25|s=29}}
* Part 2 ("Hadewijch", 1987–1988): ''Zevende Visioen'' (Seventh Vision) by [[Hadewijch]] – {{Duration|m=28|s=47}}
* Part 3 ("''[[De Stijl]]''", 1984–1985): text from ''The Principles of Plastic Mathematics'' by [[M. H. J. Schoenmaekers]], along with quotes by M. van Domselaer-Middelkoop about his{{clarify|date=October 2023|reason=Maaike Domselaer-Middelkoop, wife of [[Jakob van Domselaer]]? If so, the pronoun ought to be 'her'.}} friend, the Dutch painter [[Piet Mondrian]] – {{Duration|m=25|s=54}}
* Part 4 (untitled): excerpts from two sonnets by [[Willem Kloos]], along with a passage from the diary of [[Marie Curie]] and her [[Nobel Prize]] speech – {{Duration|m=28|s=04}}
{{small|(Timings in minutes and seconds, from the Nonesuch CD listed below)}}

==Recording==
* [[Nonesuch Records]] 7559-79367-2: [[Susan Narucki]], James Doing, Cindy Oswin, Gertrude Thoma; Members of the [[Netherlands Chamber Choir]]; [[Asko/Schönberg|Asko{{pipe}}Schönberg]]; [[Reinbert de Leeuw]], conductor<ref name="Whittall"/><ref name="Wright"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/catalogue/cat_detail?musicid=6803 Work details], [[Boosey & Hawkes]]

{{Louis Andriessen}}
{{Portal bar|Opera}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Materie, De}}
[[Category:Operas by Louis Andriessen]]
[[Category:Choral compositions]]
[[Category:1988 operas]]
[[Category:Dutch-language operas]]
[[Category:Operas]]