About Kronos Quartet with Bryce Dessner's Bryce Dessner: Aheym
Bryce Dessner, the critically acclaimed guitarist from The National and Clogs who has collaborated with Steve Reich, Philip Glass, David Lang, Sufjan Stevens and many others, has released Aheym, his recorded debut as a composer. The album finds Dessner collaborating with Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, who are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary season. Aheym features four original compositions by Dessner 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.