After his study at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Andriessen studied for two years with Luciano Berio.
Andriessen's music is influenced by the multi-faceted work of Igor Stravinsky and by minimalism. Andriessen's anti-traditional orchestration, high-energy chord-textures and inventive sources for texts and librettos give his music a distinctive stamp.
Works include De Staat, De Materie, Hoketus, Zilver, Mausoleum, etc. Andriessen cooperated with film maker Peter Greenaway on the operas Rosa (1994) and Writing to Vermeer (1998).