Louis Andriessen: De Staat

Dr Robert Adlington is a Lecturer in Music at the University of Nottingham, UK

• Introduction; Music and politics: early works, protest and the Orkest De Volharding; Jazz, minimalism and Stravinsky; De Staat: the music; De Staat: some interpretations; An interview with Louis Andriessen; Appendices; Bibliography; CD information; Index.

'Adlington's guide to De Staat is admirably thorough and readable, a first rate example of its genre. He makes good use of commentary from its notoriously provocative composer-critic, without in any way relinquishing his own perspective. Complex, integrative analytical points are deftly made without excess jargon, at a level accessible to any dedicated amateur. But it is in the interpretive chapter that Adlington really shines: I have seldom read a more subtle, flexible reading of a late twentieth-century work. Adlington's account of the work's complex and dialectical relation to American minimalism - a style that has generated much polemical oversimplification in Europe - is especially welcome on these shores.'Robert Fink, Associate Professor of Musicology, University of California, Los Angeles '...this book takes an approach that is both novel and compelling... Recommended.' Choice Reviews '... Adlington has crafted a [...] satisfying and coherent book...' www.echo.ucla.org 'With admirable consistency of treatment, close analysis is combined with historical and social context, and where appropriate, literary discussion. The texts themselves are enhanced by extensive and clearly printed musical illustrations and, as a helpful bonus, CDs of the music come too... well presented study...' The Musical Times 'The accompanying CD is a treasure. This contains a 1978 live performance of De Staat by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, never before issued on compact disc...Adlington is a clear-sighted analyst, who writes with uncommon lucidity and perception' MusicWeb International 'Adlington has crafted a [...] satisfying and coherent book...' www.humnet.ucla.edu