Louis Andriessen : Shopping List of a Poisoner (2000) ; English version 2002
for voice and nail on sandpaper
Direction : Betsy Torenbos
English translation : Nicoline Gatehouse

Originally commissioned as a solo voice piece titled 'Boodschappenlijst van een gifmenster', the title translates more literally to 'Shopping List of a female poison-mixer'. Written as an offshoot in the creative process of Louis Andriessen¹s compositional work on 'The New Math(s)', the piece consists of text compiled from four sources: Louis Andriessen, Jeroen van der Linden, Cilia Prenen, and Hilarius Hofstede.

Hilarius Hofstede is a conceptual artist who invented the imaginary text found in the catalogue index of an exhibit in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1999: Polynesian Instant Geography (PIG). Andriessen also recruited the help of the doctor Jeroen van der Linden for a list of medical terms and devices, while horticulturist Celia Prenen contributed a list of poisonous plants and herbs. The piece begins with text by Andriessen himself; he also contributed many choice words found in a catalogue of tools and implements.

In 2002, ELECTRA created their own version of the piece, in close collaboration with Louis Andriessen and Betsy Torenbos.