Solos - Track by Track Commentary Bryce Dessner

• Bryce Dessner (b. 1976): Lullaby for Jacques et Brune:
• 1 Commentary: Lullaby for Jacques et Brune 00:32
• 2 Dessner: Lullaby for Jacques et Brune 02:26
• Francis:
• 3 Commentary: Francis 00:58
• 4 Dessner: Francis 02:19
• Tuusula:
• 5 Commentary: Tuusula 01:38
• 6 Dessner: Tuusula 11:24
• Song for Octave:
• 7 Commentary: Song for Octave 00:25
• 8 Dessner: Song for Octave 03:42
• Tromp Miniature:
• 9 Commentary: Tromp Miniature 00:54
• 10 Dessner: Tromp Miniature 06:59
• Ornament and Crime:
• 11 Commentary: Ornament and Crime 00:32
• 12 Dessner: Ornament and Crime I 04:16
• 13 Dessner: Ornament and Crime II 02:14
• 14 Dessner: Ornament and Crime III 06:28
• A Good Person:
• 15 Commentary: A Good Person 00:53
• 16 Dessner: A Good Person 02:42
• On a Wire:
• 17 Commentary: On a Wire 00:39
• 18 Dessner: On a Wire 11:02
• Walls:
• 19 Commentary: Walls 00:32
• 20 Dessner: Walls 02:58
• Delphica:
• 21 Commentary: Delphica 00:51
• 22 Dessner: Delphica I 07:31
• 23 Dessner: Delphica II 04:32
• Ornament III Piano:
• 24 Commentary: Ornament III Piano 00:25
• 25 Dessner: Ornament III Piano 07:21
• Song for Ainola:
• 26 Commentary: Song for Ainola 00:23
• 27 Dessner: Song for Ainola 01:19
• Total Runtime 01:25:55

Info for Solos - Track by Track Commentary

Solos” is a collection of unaccompanied instrumental works written by the composer over the past few years. Selected from both his classical and soundtrack worlds, the works showcase not only Dessner’s compositional flair but also the immense talent of his acclaimed collaborators, many of whom work regularly with him and are his friends. Featured soloists include cellist Anastasia Kobekina; violinist Pekka Kuusisto; pianist Katia Labèque; harpist Lavinia Meijer; violist Nadia Sirota; percussionist Colin Currie; and Bryce Dessner himself on guitar. Says Dessner of these pieces: ‘Writing a solo piece for me is always a great challenge and joy, as you have all the personality and talent of the player plus the physicality and resonance of the solo instrument, a bit like a Shakespearean monologue.”

"Solos is a remarkable blend of traditional and contemporary elements by Bryce Dessner on Sony Classical. The performers’ emotional depth and technical brilliance significantly add to each composition’s energy. Dessner’s ability to collaborate with top-tier musicians and his innovative compositional voice make Solos accessible to a broad audience, continuing his rise as a prominent figure in contemporary classical music." (Illiam Sebitz, 5fingerreview.com)

"Solos reflects Bryce Dessner’s exceptional talent as a composer and the remarkable abilities of his collaborators. The album’s blend of traditional and contemporary elements, emotional depth, and technical brilliance make it a significant addition to the classical genre. That’s the short of it!" (Adorjan Horvát, staccatofy.com)

Bryce Dessner, guitar
Katia Labeque, piano
Colin Currie, percussion
Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Lavinia Meijer, harp
Nadia Sirota, viola
Anastasia Kobekina, cello

Bryce Dessner
is a vital and rare force in new music. He has won Grammy Awards as a classical composer and with the band The National, of which he is founding member, guitarist, arranger, and co-principal songwriter. He is regularly commissioned to write for the world’s leading ensembles, from Orchestre de Paris to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and is a high-profile presence in film score composition, with credits including The Revenant, for which he was Grammy and Golden Globe nominated, Fernando Mereilles’s The Two Popes and Mike Mill’s C’mon C’mon.

Dessner collaborates with some of today’s most creative and respected artists, including Philip Glass, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Paul Simon, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sufjan Stevens, Fernando Mereilles, Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, Nico Muhly, and Steve Reich, who named Dessner “a major voice of his generation.” Dessner’s orchestrations can be heard on the latest albums of Paul Simon, Bon Iver, and Taylor Swift.

Bryce Dessner has had works commissioned and premiered by today’s leading conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Semyon Bychkov, and Santtu Matias-Rouvali. This season alone sees performances of his works by, amongst others, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, HR Sinfonieorchester, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. New works Violin Concerto - commissioned by partners including Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony - and Mari, commissioned and performed by Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester, Czech Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra - have been met with widespread public and critical success.

In addition to his role as one of eight San Francisco Symphony Collaborative Partners, Bryce Dessner is currently Artist-in-Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Major works include Concerto for Two Pianos premiered by Katia & Marielle Labèque, London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon; Violin Concerto premiered and performed internationally by Pekka Kuusisto, Trombone Concerto for Jorgen van Rijen commissioned by Dallas Symphony and l’Orchestre National d’Île de France; Voy a Dormir for mezzo soprano Kelley O’Connor and Orchestra of Saint Luke’s and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Skrik Trio for Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall; the ballet No Tomorrow co-written with Ragnar Kjartansson; Wires for Ensemble Intercontemporain; The Forest for large cello ensemble, Gautier Capuçon and Fondation Louis Vuitton; and Triptych (Eyes for One on Another), a major theatre piece integrating the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe and premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dessner also scored the music - involving full orchestra and a 200-member choir - for the Louis Vuitton show at the Louvre in Paris as part of Paris Fashion Week 2020.

Dessner’s recordings include El Chan; St. Carolyn by the Sea (both Deutsche Grammophon); Aheym, commissioned by Kronos Quartet; Tenebre, an album of his works for string orchestra recorded by Germany’s Ensemble Resonanz and which won a 2019 Opus Klassik award and a Diapason d’Or; When we are inhuman with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Eighth Blackbird (2019) and Impermanence (2021) with the Australian String Quartet. Dessner’s other film score credits include The Two Popes, which won Discovery of the Year at the World Soundtrack awards; C’mon C’mon (2021) directed by Mike Mills and Cyrano (2021), the major musical by Joe Wright.

Also active as a curator, Dessner is regularly requested to program festivals and residencies around the world at venues such as at the Barbican, Philharmonie de Paris, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. He co-founded and curates the festivals MusicNOW in Cincinnati, HAVEN in Copenhagen, Sounds from a Safe Harbour and PEOPLE.

Bryce Dessner lives in France.

This album contains no booklet.