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Reinbert de Leeuw

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Reinbert de Leeuw was a Dutch conductor, pianist and composer. He was born on 8 September 1938 and died on 14 February 2020. His parents were both psychiatrists. He had piano lessons from the age of seven, studied music theory and piano in Amsterdam and composition with Kees van Baaren at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where he later taught himself. From 2004 he was a professor in Leiden.

Music and breakthrough

In 1974 he founded the Schönberg Ensemble, which focused mainly on the Second Viennese School and the avant-garde. He conducted the major Dutch orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and was a guest in Europe, the United States, Japan and Australia. At De Nederlandse Opera he directed productions of, among others, Stravinsky, Louis Andriessen, Ligeti and Britten. In 2011 he conducted Schönberg's Gurre-Lieder, a long-cherished wish. He was also the founder of the Dutch Charles Ives Society.

Influence

As a pianist he recorded, among other things, Vexations, the famous, extremely repetitive piece by Erik Satie, and The Early Piano Works of Satie. He also played Pierrot lunaire and Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps. His albums show how broad his interests were, from Satie and Ives to the Viennese school. He made new music and forgotten music accessible to a large audience, and so left his mark on Dutch musical life.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to his recording of Vexations by Satie and notice how one short sequence of chords keeps returning. Does the music change, or mainly your way of listening?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists