#4480, Bryce Dessner: 'Impermanence/Disintegration'

Listen to Impermanence/Disintegration, recent work by Bryce Dessner, the Grammy-winning composer who’s probably best known as a founder and guitarist of the American rock band The National, along with his film scores for The Revenant and The Two Popes and - for New Sounds Listeners - as a member of chamber-rock band Clogs. Dessner’s partnership with the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company, Impermanence/Disintegration, is a dynamic work filled with kinetic energy, radiance, and hope, and is "a response to the fleeting transience of life" (Bandcamp), initially inspired by the tragedy of the Australian bush fires and the Notre-Dame fire in Paris. (Program notes.)
 
The dance piece, featuring live on-stage performance of Dessner’s score, was originally planned to premiere in Sydney in March 2020. As has been the story for so many works of art and premieres, due to the pandemic, the performance was postponed and the artists were sent into lockdown, but the collaboration persevered. The Australian String Quartet recorded the compositions in lockdown and the dancers rehearsed in isolation. Impermanence/Disintegration finally premiered in Sydney in February 2021. The work that closes the album (and the show) is a collaboration with singer/songwriter and activist Anohni - a new version of her song “Another World,” with string arrangements by Dessner. (Liner notes, Bandcamp.) Bryce Dessner joins John remotely to present portions of the score. - Caryn Havlik

#4480, Bryce Dessner's Impermanence/Disintegration (First Aired 4/05/2021)

ARTIST: Kronos Quartet
WORK: Dessner: Aheym [1:00]
RECORDING: Aheym
SOURCE: Anti Records 272962
INFO: Available at AppleMusic, Amazon.com, and on Spotify

ARTIST: Australian String Quartet
WORK: Dessner: Alarms [6:20]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: Australian String Quartet
WORK:Dessner: Disintegration [2:21]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: Australian String Quartet
WORK:Dessner: Impermanence [7:20]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: Australian String Quartet
WORK: Dessner: Pulsing [9:28]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: Australian String Quartet
WORK: Dessner: Requiem Ashes [2:15]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: ANOHNI / Australian String Quartet
WORK: ANOHNI: Another World (arr. Bryce Dessner) [4:05]
RECORDING: Impermanence/Disintegration
SOURCE: 37d03d
INFO: https://lnk.to/Impermanence_Disintegration

ARTIST: Noveller
WORK: Almost Alright [6:08]
RECORDING: Desert Fires
SOURCE: Saffron Records 001
INFO: sarahlipstate.com