Jonny Greenwood and the National’s Bryce Dessner Plan Split LP
When they aren’t earning universal acclaim with their high-profile bands, Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood and the National‘s Bryce Dessner are both active within the realm of classical music. On March 3rd, the duo will release a split LP of orchestral compositions, compiling the suite from Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood score and three original Dessner pieces.
Greenwood’s suite features a variety of string-heavy pieces from the Oscar-winning film, including “Open Spaces,” “Future Markets” and “Oil.” Dessner’s half of the LP includes the 2011 composition “St. Carolyn by the Sea” (featuring both Dessner and twin brother/National member Aaron on electric guitar), along with 2007’s “Raphael” and 2012’s “Lachrimae.” All of Dessner’s pieces were performed by the Copenhagen Philharmonic and conducted by André de Ridder.
According to a press release, the pairing of these two rock-musicians-turned-classical-composers was an artistic choice by de Ridder, who frequently programs their music together during live concerts. “The defining strand of the collaboration is not so much the similar musical backgrounds of Dessner and Greenwood,” reads a statement, “but more their mutual preoccupation with quintessentially American themes such as the vast expanses of the country’s landscape, or a sense of nostalgic longing; themes which, previously, were largely the domain of other musical genres.”
The album will be released by Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Classics. Pre-orders are available now.
The track list is below, along with a trailer:
Bryce Dessner:
1. St. Carolyn by the Sea
2. Lachrimae
3. Raphael
Jonny Greenwood:
4. Open Spaces
5. Future Markets
6. HW/Hope of New Fields
7. Henry Plainview
8. Proven Lands
9. Oil