Bryce Dessner lives in Paris, but he is a major figure of contemporary American music. He is a versatile musician. As a guitarist, he is part of a rock band, The National. As a composer, he writes music from baroque to minimalism, folklore, and post-romanticism. Popular all over the world, he collaborates with many musicians such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Paul Simmons, and many others. Dessner graduated from Yale University with a degree in musicology and partners with the symphonic orchestra of San Francisco. He has written a ballet for the New York City Ballet based on a Hans Christian Anderson story. He is everywhere.
El Chan is dedicated to Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarittú (Birdman, The Revenant), who created the visuals for the record. It is made up of various works composed or arranged by Bryce Dessner for Katia and Marielle Labèque: Concerto for two pianos; El Chan, also for two pianos; and Haven, for two electric guitars and two pianos. Dessner’s relationship with the Labèque sisters is passionate, almost based on love. It began with the creation of his Quilting, directed by Gustavo Dudamel in Los Angeles, on the evening that the two sisters performed the first audition of Philip Glass’ Concerto for two pianos.
“They are music legends who worked with Messiaen, Berio and many others.” Bryce Dessner adores their openness, which matches his own understanding of music. A flutist coming from Bach and Handel, Dessner has been exposed to many influences and uses all of them in his work. © François Hudry/Qobuz