NPR MUSIC PREMIERES BRYCE DESSNER AND KRONOS QUARTET’S AHEYM TITLE TRACK AND VIDEO
NPR MUSIC PREMIERES BRYCE DESSNER AND
KRONOS QUARTET’S AHEYM
TITLE TRACK AND VIDEO
ALBUM OUT NOVEMBER 5 ON ANTI- RECORDS
FEATURING BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS
“[Dessner is a] deft guitarist-composer.”—The New York Times
“Kronos proved that the string quartet, long the most self-consciously ‘classical’ of classical
ensembles, could become a kind of all-terrain vehicle in contemporary culture. Early on, they
made a near-total commitment to living composers…Kronos is notable for its global vision.”
—The New Yorker
NPR Music is premiering the title track and video from Aheym, the upcoming collaboration
between critically acclaimed guitarist from The National and composer Bryce Dessner and
Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet. The video, directed by visual artist and longtime
Dessner collaborator Matthew Ritchie, can streamed/shared at http://n.pr/16nzt0n. Ritchie
previously worked with Dessner on performance pieces “The Long Count,” “Monstrance,” “The
Morning Line” and more.
Due November 5 on Anti- Records, Aheym features four original compositions by Dessner—
who has previously collaborated with Steve Reich, Philip Glass, David Lang, Sufjan Stevens and
many others—performed by Kronos as well as an appearance by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
Dessner and the quartet first crossed paths when Kronos founder David Harrington approached
Dessner about writing a piece for the quartet’s performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at
Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2009. The ensuing piece, “Aheym” (meaning “homeward” in
Yiddish), was informed by the stories of Dessner’s Jewish immigrant grandparents who settled
near the park and, as the pair’s collaboration grew, became the album’s title track.
Aheym also includes a performance dedicated to Laurence Neff, Kronos Quartet’s lighting
designer of 25 years (“Tenebre”); a composition influenced by obscure Czech viola da gamba
performers Irena and Vojtěch Havel (“Little Blue Something”); and “Tour Eiffel,” a setting of a
poem by Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro that was originally commissioned by the Brooklyn
Youth Chorus (which perform the track on Aheym alongside Kronos Quartet) at the suggestion of
Dessner’s close friend, composer Nico Muhly.
Best known for his work with Brooklyn-based rock group The National, Bryce Dessner is also a
founding member of the group Clogs and founder/curator of Cincinnati’s acclaimed MusicNOW
Festival. Graduating from Yale University with a master’s degree in music, Dessner serves as a
composer-in-residence at Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands, produced the
Red Hot AIDS charity compilation Dark Was the Night with his brother and The National
bandmate Aaron, curated the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry music festival for the Brooklyn Academy
of Music (also with Aaron) and has performed alongside Steve Reich, Nico Muhly, Sufjan
Stevens, Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood and many others.
The San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has made a name for themselves across multiple
genres, performing alongside artists including Tom Waits, Asha Bhosle, Paul McCartney, Allen
Ginsberg, David Bowie and Wu Man. They have also collaborated with a long list of composers
including Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, John Adams, Steve Reich, Meredith Monk and Terry
Riley. The group is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary with coast-to-coast birthday
concerts, a host of premieres, a Nonesuch CD boxed set and performances around the globe. The
non-profit Kronos Performing Arts Association manages all aspects of Kronos’ work, including
the commissioning of new works, concert tours and home-season performances and education
programs.
BRYCE DESSNER/KRONOS QUARTET, AHEYM
1. Aheym
2. Little Blue Something
3. Tenebre
4. Tour Eiffel
For more information, please contact Joe Cohen or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co.,
212.741.1000, joe.cohen@sacksco.com or carla@sacksco.com.