Duo pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque and the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform the world premiere of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen’s double piano concerto, “The Hague Hacking,” commissioned by the LA Phil and led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, on Friday, January 16, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, January 18, at 2 p.m.

There are few works for the traditional symphony orchestra in Andriessen’s catalog, and it has been 39 years since his last concerto-like piece. Works for “large ensemble,” however, abound. The immediate roots of The Hague Hacking lie in a short piece of the same name for two pianos from 2003.  The “hacking” (hakkûh) of the title is Dutch slang for the dance style of a techno-descended hardcore house music, high speed and heavy on the bass. The Minimalist Jukebox festival presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in March 2006 included performances of De Staat and the U.S. premiere of Andriessen’s Racconto dall’Inferno. The success of these concerts encouraged Andriessen to accept a commission for a new work, which he has created from ideas he began exploring in the 2003 piece. Multiple keyboards – and two pianos, particularly – have long been important to Andriessen’s sound. The pianos here are matched with a conventional – albeit percussion-rich – orchestra, pumped up with important parts for cimbalom, electric guitar, and bass guitar.




Louis Andriessen is one of Europe's most eminent and influential composers * Music combines propulsive energy, economy of material and distinctive sonorities, often dominated by pungent wind and brass, pianos and electric guitars * He has explored, in relation to music, the subjects of politics, time, velocity, matter and mortality in five works for large ensemble: De Staat (1976), De Tijd (1981), De Snelheid (1983), De Materie (1985-88), and Trilogy of The Last Day (1996-97) * A central figure in Dutch contemporary arts scene * Series of recordings on the Nonesuch label

Works by Louis Andriessen include:
Hoketus (1977) for 2 groups of five instruments
De Stijl (1985) for 4 women's voices, female speaker and large ensemble
Writing to Vermeer (1997-98)  Opera in six scenes, in collaboration with Peter Greenaway

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Review: Andriessen Los Angeles Philharmonic premiere
January 18, 2009

Friday night, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted the world premiere of Louis Andriessen’s “The Hague Hacking” at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  It is a glitzy 19-minute two-piano concerto written for the flamboyant French duo of Katia and Marielle Labèque.  .....
Andriessen, who has been mentor to many younger American composers and who has created a major stylistic school in Holland, has lately clicked with the L.A. Philharmonic.  His work was a hit during the Minimalist Jukebox festival three years ago, and it looks as though a fruitful relationship with the orchestra has emerged.  Moreover, Andriessen’s latest work has taken on a depth of expression that demands more attention in the U.S.

Still, he remains feisty.  To increase his comfort level working with a symphony orchestra, he added electric and bass guitar, along with synthesizer and a healthy percussion section to the Philharmonic for “Hague Hacking.”
“The Hague Hacking” begins with percussive attacks by the pianists, who play throughout the score as if a single pianist with four hands.  They riff on the opening notes of Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” a potboiler the contrarian composer claimed not to know.  But he did admit to adoring a “Tom and Jerry cartoon that parodies the Liszt.  He also threw into the mix a drawn-out version of a popular song about the Dutch city The Hague.

Andriessen describes the concerto as essentially a toccata.  Its edges are sharp and everyone on stage Friday seemed on edge as well.  But the Labèques, fabulously dressed, were fabulous soloists, reading each other’s minds as they became a single super pianist.  Stravinsky’s prickly sound was an evident influence on the piano writing, but there were also sweetening hints of Messiaen’s harmonies in the orchestral accompaniment.  Liszt remained deconstructed throughout in this study of pinpoint pianism.
The ending was surprising.  Andriessen reaches an unusually triumphant climax -- unusual, that is, for him.  The score then ends with a hint of sentiment -– also unusual for him -- in soft string chords.



--Mark Swed