Exclusive premiere: New video and music from Bryce Dessner (The National)

David Pescovitz 7:58 am Wed Apr 29, 2015

The guitarist births an avant-garde masterpiece, and a new musical instrument to play it

Bryce Dessner, guitarist for The National, is also a respected composer of contemporary and avant-garde classical music. Next month, he will release his latest work, Music for Wood and Strings, performed by Sō Percussion on unusual instruments called Chordsticks that Dessner designed with Aron Sanchez of Buke and Gase. It's a compelling sequel to Bryce's first solo album, the incredible 2013 collaboration with the famed Kronos Quartet, titled Aheym.

Boing Boing is delighted to premiere the short film above about Music for Wood and Strings, along with this fantastic track from the forthcoming album:

And if you missed it, Bryce Dessner's 2013 essay for Boing Boing, "My Favorite Contemporary Classical Works," is, ahem, a classic.

Video directed by Derrick Belcham, Zara Popovici and Sean Dwyer.

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