
Hendrik Andriessen: Miroir de Peine, Orchestral Music & Concertos
Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra
Brilliant Classics 96015
★★★★
Written by James Nightingale
This double CD features music by a lesser-known Dutch composer, Hendrik Andriessen, who had a brother and two sons who were also composers, one of the sons being much more famous than any of the others. Andriessen had a long career as an organist and composer and this recording is a welcome introduction to his orchestral music.
Featuring the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra with a couple of conductors and many soloists, the collection paints a picture of a composer who had a strong idea of his own sound world, one that inhabited the late Romantic and neo-classical styles with gentle grace.
The conductors include David Porcelijn, who will be very familiar to Australian audiences, and the soprano soloist, Roberta Alexander, brings a beautiful ease to the sound of the title track, Miroir de Peine. This recording highlights the musical depth of the Netherlands in the 20th century through its portrait of a composer who is peripheral to trends of world music but integral to the modern musical history of Holland.