Inside the Most Unexpected Concert of 2025

“I’m so excited to be presenting this concert centred around composers from my homeland The Netherlands - and specifically The Hague - to the musicians and the audiences in Perth,” said Otto Tausk (Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) when asked about Danceworks – the first concert in our brand-new Underground series.

A familiar face to WASO audiences, it’s always exciting when we get to welcome Tausk back to the podium, and we could think of no one better to lead this concert full of musical mavericks.

Andriessen was co-founder of the contemporary musical movement known as The Hague School. In the 1970s and 80s, he shattered the boundaries between classical, jazz, and rock with a fiercely political edge and a defiantly amplified sound. Rejecting the lush traditions of the past, he championed stripped-back textures, pounding rhythms, and an ensemble of brass, electric guitars, and saxophones, more garage band than orchestra.

“You could say musical life in The Netherlands, and perhaps around the world, changed with the works and completely unique personality of composer Louis Andriessen. He helped shape the future of contemporary music.”

Tausk remembers his own time with Andriessen fondly. “He was the most intelligent, anti-establishment, musical, sensitive and witty composer I have ever worked with; a kind a force of nature, musically and personally, one gets to meet only seldom in life.”

The music of The Hague School could be described as minimalism – but always with a twist. Always rhythmic, sometimes aggressive, and, in Andriessen’s case, packed with an enormous emotional power.

So, what can audiences expect at Danceworks? Tausk says the music will definitely keep listeners on their toes. “It’s never quite what you expect, but the incredible rhythmic impact that really hits you is right at the heart of the music.”

The concert also includes the bright, pop-driven sound of Michael Torke, the quirky individuality of Martijn Padding, and Steve Martland’s swaggering muscularity. Both Padding and Martland were students of Andriessen in The Hague and his influence on their work is clear.

Michael Torke is best known for Javelin, the opening ceremony theme for the 1996 Summer Olympics, but Tausk says his soundscapes certainly connect to Andriessen’s musical world. “His Adjustable Wrench is a brilliant fusion of rock, jazz and classical elements, all held together in a framework of incredible rhythmic precision.”

How would Tausk summarise the music of Danceworks? “Powerful rhythmic repetition, often confrontational and meaningful, dissonant chords, but always emotionally charged and accessible to the listener. Infused with irony and humour, it’s probably witty Dutch pragmatism at its best!”

Step outside of the box and into the cutting edge of orchestral music with Otto Tausk, Sara Macliver and WASO. If classical music had a rebel phase, this would be it.

Danceworks
Thu 26 & Fri 27 June 2025, 7:30pm
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA
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