The National's Bryce Dessner on the concert hall vs the algorithm

Bryce Dessner, renowned guitarist of indie rock band The National and a celebrated contemporary composer, is undertaking his first solo Australian tour featuring his orchestral compositions. This milestone marks a significant expansion of his artistic reach beyond the rock stage into the concert hall, where he collaborates with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Dessner’s career defies easy categorization. Co-founding The National in 1999, he has contributed to shaping the band’s distinctive sound, while simultaneously cultivating a parallel path as a classically trained composer with roots in Yale and the experimental Brooklyn music scene. His work spans multiple genres, garnering accolades including Grammys across alternative and chamber music and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

This month, Dessner brings to Australian audiences a new chapter of his orchestral output, highlighted by the premiere of his cello concerto Trembling Earth. The piece, inspired by landscape paintings of Edvard Munch that reflect early 20th-century tensions, engages with themes of environmental fragility and human impact. Written for the acclaimed Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the concerto navigates a spectrum from lyrical introspection to the intense rhythmic drive reminiscent of composers like Shostakovich and Stravinsky.

Kobekina’s versatility, spanning classical canon to contemporary genres, underpins the concerto’s dynamic character. Dessner’s choice to work with such a formidable soloist underscores the ambition of presenting Australian audiences with world-class performances of new music that bridges tradition and innovation.

The thematic focus on landscape and impermanence also resonates through other pieces in Dessner’s repertoire. Impermanence, a collaboration involving the Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Company, was a response to the devastating 2019-20 bushfires, intertwining music and choreography to portray cycles of destruction and renewal. Similarly, St Carolyn By The Sea, premiered in Australia during this tour, draws inspiration from Jack Kerouac’s novel Big Sur, evoking vast natural imagery through orchestral textures enhanced by electric guitars.

Dessner’s dual engagement with rock and classical music informs his artistic philosophy. He views the collaborative spirit of a rock band and the disciplined preparation required for orchestral composition as different but complementary manifestations of musical teamwork. While The National creates collectively, orchestral works demand fully realized scores before rehearsal, reflecting contrasting creative processes unified by a commitment to human expression.

His reflections extend to the contemporary music landscape shaped by digital algorithms and artificial intelligence. Dessner emphasizes the enduring value of live performance as a communal, sensory experience distinct from algorithm-driven or AI-generated music prevalent on streaming platforms. He envisions concert halls as vital spaces for authentic artistic connection, resistant to technological homogenization.

Currently based in southern France with his family, Dessner remains prolific. Alongside his orchestral work, he has recently completed his first opera, Herakles Mad, scheduled to premiere next year. The National has also reunited for a one-off show following a hiatus, with new material reportedly in development.

At 50, Dessner reflects on a career that has fulfilled many early ambitions in both classical and popular music. He approaches future projects guided by genuine enthusiasm and creative curiosity rather than external expectations.

His Australian tour represents not only an artistic milestone but also an invitation for audiences to engage with music that traverses genres and explores profound themes through the expansive palette of the orchestra. Performances with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and distinguished soloists like Kobekina promise a rich and multifaceted concert experience, reaffirming the power of live music in an increasingly digitized world.