Mark Springer’s Sleep of Reason (Sub Rosa SR563) is a thrilling showcase of his prodigious talent and boundless creativity. Famed for his dynamic piano work, Springer dives deep into the interplay of strings, voice, and keys—crafting an album that’s as conceptually bold as it is musically rich.
The opener, featuring Neil Tennant’s unmistakable vocals paired with the Sacconi Quartet, is a bold reinterpretation of Goya’s Los Caprichos—biting, atmospheric, and utterly contemporary. Springer’s writing gives the strings and voice room to haunt, probe, and mesmerize.
From there, the album moves effortlessly through a tense and evocative string quartet section before landing on a spellbinding solo piano conclusion. It’s here that Springer’s virtuosity pulls themes together, leaving listeners suspended between reality and reverie.
Sleep of Reason is a vivid, unsettling dreamscape from one of music’s true originals. Springer’s vision is striking, his execution masterful. Don’t miss this.
Listen: bfan.link/phantoms-and-monsters
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