Bryce Dessner to present orchestral works in Sydney

--> American composer and guitarist for The National, Bryce Dessner, will present orchestral works in Sydney, Australia, together with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The centrepiece of the performances will be the Australian premiere of his cello concerto Trembling Earth, written for Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina, ABC News Australia reports .

Dessner created Trembling Earth under the impression of an exhibition of landscapes by Edvard Munch in Oslo. The composer describes the work as a pastoral symphony that reflects on the state of humanity in times of conflicts and traumatic events. According to him, the music combines themes of nature's fragility, human decisions, destruction, renewal and hope.

The concerto was written when Dessner was the first composer-in-residence of the Czech Philharmonic. He called Kobekina “a force of nature” and noted that she performs both classical repertoire and new music.