Bryce Dessner | World Premiere of Concerto for Two Pianos
11th April 2018
© Shervin Lainez
Bryce Dessner is a man who slips in and out of musical guises with disarming ease … This is gorgeous and full-hearted music.
Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR Music
On Friday April 13 legendary piano duo Katia and Marielle Labèque, together with London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor John Storgårds, give the World Premiere of Concerto for Two Pianos by Bryce Dessner, one of classical music’s most modern and versatile composers. A successful guitarist and songwriter for the Grammy-nominated rock band The National, Dessner’s classical career is equally distinguished, having written for some of the greatest ensembles and soloists of our time.
Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Borusan Culture Arts Centre, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra de Paris, and Spanish National Orchestra, the Concerto for Two Pianos will take premiere at the Southbank Centre, London, followed by performances in Dresden, Madrid and Paris later this year.
The collaboration between Dessner and the Labèque sisters is not the first. He wrote El Chan, a piano duo, for them in 2015, which toured widely across Europe, Canada and the US.
My new work for Katia, Marielle and the London Philharmonic Orchestra was composed throughout 2017, with a large portion of the development taking place in Katia and Marielle’s piano studio on Rue Quincampoix in Paris and their house on the Basque coast where they spend most of the summer. I spent a lot of time familiarising myself with the repertoire they have performed over the years, and doing research on the deeply personal and intertwined musical history and style that they share. I also shared the score with them several times as it developed, to get their feedback and to be sure the ideas were translating well to the piano. I had previously composed a 20-minute piano duo for them in 2015 called El Chan, which they have toured extensively and now recorded for future release. Working on this first duo piece together was a great learning experience for me, in shaping how to address the challenges of writing for two pianos. My new Concerto is a tribute to two great musicians who I am honoured to work with and who I am even luckier to call my friends. (Bryce Dessner, April 2018)
Hear more about Bryce Dessner’s musical influences, compositional processes and career on Friday when he meets composer Dominic Murcott at the Southbank Centre. For tickets and more information, click here.
Dates
April 13, 2018 at 3 pmRoyal Festival Hall, Blue Room, Level 1, Southbank Centre, London
Bryce Dessner in conversation with composer Dominic Murcott.
Tickets and more information.
April 13, 2018 at 7.30 pmRoyal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London
London Philharmonic OrchestraJohn Storgårds, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos (World premiere)
Tickets and more information.
June 16, 2018 at 7.30 pmThe Kulturpalast, Dresden, Germany
Dresden Philharmonic OrchestraJuanjo Mena, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos (Country premiere)
Tickets and more information.
June 17, 2018 at 7.30 pmThe Kulturpalast, Dresden, GermanyDresden Philharmonic OrchestraJuanjo Mena, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
Tickets and more information.
October 17, 2018 at 8.30 pmGrande salle Pierre Boulez, Philharmonie de Paris, France
Orchestre de ParisMatthias Pintscher, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos (Country premiere)
Tickets and more information.
October 18, 2018 at 8.30 pmGrande salle Pierre Boulez, Philharmonie de Paris, France
Orchestre de ParisMatthias Pintscher, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
Tickets and more information.
November 30, 2018 at 7.30 pmAuditorio Nacional Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Spanish National OrchestraAndré de Ridder, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos (Country premiere)
Tickets and more information.
December 1, 2018 at 7.30 pmAuditorio Nacional Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Spanish National OrchestraAndré de Ridder, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
Tickets and more information.
December 2, 2018 at 11.30 amAuditorio Nacional Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Spanish National OrchestraAndré de Ridder, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
Tickets and more information.
December 20, 2018 at 8 pmLütfi Kırdar Anadolu Auditorium, Istanbul, Turkey
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic OrchestraSascha Goetzel, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
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February 1, 2019 at 7.00 amMusica nova Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Philharmonic OrchestraPeter Rundel, conductorKatia Labèque, pianoMarielle Labèque, piano
Bryce Dessner: Concerto for Two Pianos
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