Sufjan Stevens has announced a new album — sort of. Reflections is the artist's score for a 2019 ballet of the same name, and the recorded version was performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick. It's due out May 19 via Asthmatic Kitty Records, and the single "Ekstasis" is streaming now.
From the sound of things, Stevens didn't actually perform any of the music himself. The stage piece was choreographed by Justin Peck and performed with eleven dancers and two pianos. One of the songs is called "And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness."
Below, watch a performance video for the opening track, "Ekstasis." The seven-song tracklist is below that.
Stevens said in a statement, "I'm constantly thinking about bodies moving through space when I'm writing for ballet — that is what has informed this music, first and foremost." It's available to pre-order here.
Stevens has released a few albums in recent years: an Angelo De Augustine collaboration in 2021 as well as a five-volume series of instrumentals, Convocations. His last traditional solo album was 2020's The Ascension. In late 2021, he said it was "time for me to take a break from releasing albums."
Reflections:
1. Ekstasis
2. Revanche
3. Euphoros
4. Mnemosyne
5. Rodinia
6. Reflexion
7. And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness
From the sound of things, Stevens didn't actually perform any of the music himself. The stage piece was choreographed by Justin Peck and performed with eleven dancers and two pianos. One of the songs is called "And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness."
Below, watch a performance video for the opening track, "Ekstasis." The seven-song tracklist is below that.
Stevens said in a statement, "I'm constantly thinking about bodies moving through space when I'm writing for ballet — that is what has informed this music, first and foremost." It's available to pre-order here.
Stevens has released a few albums in recent years: an Angelo De Augustine collaboration in 2021 as well as a five-volume series of instrumentals, Convocations. His last traditional solo album was 2020's The Ascension. In late 2021, he said it was "time for me to take a break from releasing albums."
Reflections:
1. Ekstasis
2. Revanche
3. Euphoros
4. Mnemosyne
5. Rodinia
6. Reflexion
7. And I Shall Come to You Like a Stormtrooper in Drag Serving Imperial Realness
