Electric Fields (composed by Bryce Dessner & David Chalmin) premiering in LA

Bryce Dessner of The National and French composer and musician David Chalmin composed Electric Fields, which is getting its world premiere, commissioned by LA Phil, on November 15 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. It’ll be performed by soprano Barbara Hannigan, pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque, and Chalmin on live electronics, with Netia Jones as director and designer, projection design from Lightmap, and sound engineer Guillaume Loubère. Here’s more about the performance:

Inspired by the cosmic compositions and contemplations of medieval polymath Hildegard von Bingen, Electric Fields offers an immersive multimedia concert experience, where otherworldly music is framed by live video, lighting projections that respond to the artists, and electronic effects.

Hildegard had visions throughout her life that led to writings on celestial systems and theories of infinite connection. Channeling that spirit, Electric Fields reaches through centuries and collapses time, connecting the music Hildegard wrote in the 12th century to Baroque-era compositions of Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini—all reimagined through the modern eyes and ears of David Chalmin and Bryce Dessner. The result explores the most elusive aspects of human experience: Darkness and light. Connection and isolation. The finite and infinite.

Tickets are on sale now.

Bryce and his twin brother Aaron have been busy, meanwhile, not just with The National but with Complete Mountain Almanac, among other projects, and they’re also writing the original music and score for a new film, Dandelion, from writer and director Nicole Riegel. Here’s the synopsis:

Dandelion (KiKi Layne), a struggling but determined Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral reluctantly takes a last ditch effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey, a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s eclectic and nomadic group of struggling musicians, the two kindred spirits make music together and strike up an intoxicating whirlwind romance that moves Dandelion from an obsession with results and a narrow view of success to a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey and the discovery of a voice that is authentically her own.

Dandelion is being produced by Rian Cahill of Griffin Drive Productions, Adam Cobb, Pete McClellan and Nicole Riegel, and due out in theaters next year via IFC Films. “I’m thrilled to deepen and continue my relationship with my IFC family and to work with this dream team of producers and crew,” Riegel says. “It’s an honor to create music with Aaron and Bryce Dessner, two of the best and most respected musicians and composers in the world. It’s been such a rewarding partnership with KiKi Layne in a role that showcases her authenticity and gorgeous music abilities. Dandelion is a film about dreams and a love of process, so there’s a lot of art imitating life on this one.”