Bryce Dessner’s been “upside down” with jetlag for most of the week, he tells the audience from the stage; in recognition, his second program with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is to be performed in reverse program order.

Earlier in the week, Bryce Dessner’s Trembling Earth showcased the SSO and Dessner with a full orchestral force; Bryce Dessner and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra offered a more intimate peek (and with Dessner chatting through changeovers, refreshingly informal) at the American composer’s works, from string orchestra to solo piano.

Bryce Dessner. Photo © Cassandra Hannagan

Alongside his contemporary classical work, Dessner is also known for his work as guitarist and songwriter for The National. The band’s music pulls in a classical sort of richness from horn and string arrangements that warm tracks like Pink Rabbits, Fake Empire and Weird Goodbyes, but it’s harder to trace Dessner’s classical language to something as contained as an indie-rock tune (except for the night’s Garcia Counterpoint, but that’s on the tin). 

In his music, there are