Hearing Louis Andriessen's pioneering De Staat (The State) for the first time is an experience you will never forget. Like Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps, De Staat is a work that needs to be performed and heard with some regularity. Its Premiere in 1976, played by the NBE, was a milestone for Dutch music. De Staat went on to win international recognition for its composer, and even now the work’s reputation is such that young composers from all over the world come to the Netherlands each year to follow classes from Andriessen.

Na dertig jaar brengt het NBE opnieuw het grootste werk van componist Louis Andriessen uit. Net zoals de Sacre du Printemps van Stravinsky moet De Staat als baanbrekend werk om de zoveel tijd uitgevoerd en gehoord worden.