Around the Music Festival

Reinbert de Leeuw, the Dutch conductor and pianist at the frontline of contemporary music diffusion, has died on the 14th. He is 81 years old.

He was born in Amsterdam, where he studied piano and music theory, then studied composition at The Hague Conservatory.

In 1974 he founded the Schoenberg Ensemble, which plays contemporary music, and was the conductor and music director.

He has been instrumental in introducing works by Messiaen, Cage, Ligeti, Louis Andreessen, Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtàg, and has left numerous recordings.

Since the 1960s, he has been involved in various contemporary music activities . There are also many activities that served as artistic director.

These include the Oldburgh Music Festival in the UK (1992), the Tanglewood Music Festival in the United States (1994-1998), and the Summer Academy of the Dutch National Youth Orchestra (2001-2010). And through that activities, he has premiered many contemporary works.

He also actively took Satie as a pianist since the 1970s, shining light on the romantic side and leading to reassessment.

Many awards including the Edison Music Awards in 2002. In 2008, he was awarded Order of the Netherlands Lion.

Photo：TivoliVredenburg　/　jelmer de haas