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Solos in Bloomington, MN
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Bryce Dessner
, founder and guitarist of the indie rock band
The National
, has arguably had the greatest success of any of the figures who have attempted the jump from rock to classical concert music, reaching greater heights with each new release. He was signed to the major
Sony Classical
label, and now, with the album of solo music promised by the title, he attracts major guest stars.
Dessner
's method on this album is an unusual one, and he deserves credit for this; various composers have written solo music, and various ones have written music for a variety of soloists, but to combine these two takes some rigor. One of the soloists is
himself, who appears on a pair of guitar pieces. Most numerous are the works by
Katia Labèque
of the celebrated
Katia & Marielle Labèque
piano duo; her works are especially meditative in tone. The rest of the soloists are mostly younger artists: cellist
Anastasia Kobekina
, percussionist
Colin Currie
, violinist
Pekka Kuusisto
(in the most ambitious work of the lot, the three-movement
Ornament and Crime
), harpist
Lavinia Meijer
, and violist
Nadia Sirota
.
writes idiomatically for all the instruments (
Meijer
's harp in
On a Wire
is especially impressive in this regard), and that is quite an accomplishment for someone who is still basically a newcomer to classical concert music. Whether his relatively simple textures carry the personal overtones he describes will be for individual listeners to judge, and it would be interesting to know whether those who come from rock backgrounds would answer the question differently from those with a primarily classical background. The album was recorded at several different locations, but a substantial editing and mastering staff has largely knitted it together sonically. This album marks another step forward for
's classical career. ~ James Manheim
, founder and guitarist of the indie rock band
The National
, has arguably had the greatest success of any of the figures who have attempted the jump from rock to classical concert music, reaching greater heights with each new release. He was signed to the major
Sony Classical
label, and now, with the album of solo music promised by the title, he attracts major guest stars.
Dessner
's method on this album is an unusual one, and he deserves credit for this; various composers have written solo music, and various ones have written music for a variety of soloists, but to combine these two takes some rigor. One of the soloists is
himself, who appears on a pair of guitar pieces. Most numerous are the works by
Katia Labèque
of the celebrated
Katia & Marielle Labèque
piano duo; her works are especially meditative in tone. The rest of the soloists are mostly younger artists: cellist
Anastasia Kobekina
, percussionist
Colin Currie
, violinist
Pekka Kuusisto
(in the most ambitious work of the lot, the three-movement
Ornament and Crime
), harpist
Lavinia Meijer
, and violist
Nadia Sirota
.
writes idiomatically for all the instruments (
Meijer
's harp in
On a Wire
is especially impressive in this regard), and that is quite an accomplishment for someone who is still basically a newcomer to classical concert music. Whether his relatively simple textures carry the personal overtones he describes will be for individual listeners to judge, and it would be interesting to know whether those who come from rock backgrounds would answer the question differently from those with a primarily classical background. The album was recorded at several different locations, but a substantial editing and mastering staff has largely knitted it together sonically. This album marks another step forward for
's classical career. ~ James Manheim
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