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The piano lights up the night in Bent Sørensen's nocturnes

© Peter Christian Christensen

The piano lights up the night in Bent Sørensen's nocturnes

On 8 October, the digital album 12 Nocturnes will be released, presenting short, atmospheric piano pieces by Bent Sørensen, recorded by Katrine Gislinge. 

New release
28 September 2021

"There is something about the combination of the piano and the night", says Bent Sørensen.

"I have always been fascinated by the sound of a piano from far away, and many times when I have walked through the darkness of the city at night – I’ve been stopped by the sound of a piano that presses itself from a window. The most beautiful night sound – enigmatic and mystical in a way that is inexplicable".

The new album 12 Nocturnes presents a collection of short pieces of great expressive weight by Bent Sørensen (b. 1958), who has made his name as one of the most listenable composers of his generation. The piano pieces on the album is wonderfully atmospheric music with a vibrating magical sound that recalls the stars at night, miles above us.

The album is a live recording with pianist Katrine Gislinge and it presents the world premiere recording of the complete 12 Nocturnes.

From lullaby to sunrise

With the collection of the 12 Nocturnes, Bent Sørensen has formed a sequence of nocturnal scenes, from evening until the following morning. 

The first piece Mignon – und die Sonne geht unter is sunset music built on a poem by Pia Juul, And the sun goes down. In Sigrids Wiegenlied, which is the ninth nocturne on the album, we hear a faint voice in the distance and witness the child being lifted into the peace of the night. In the last nocturne, Und die Sonne geht auf, we sense the first flickering light of the day as the sun comes up.

The album also includes the bonus track Walzer – Unter dem Meer, a waltz saturated with light, with a dying tone in which we sense the whispering strokes from the Nightingale String Quartet.

Listen to a pre-taste of the album

You can already now listen to a pre-taste of two tracks from the album on Apple Music and on Friday 1 October another track will be added. You can also already now pre-save the album to your preferred streaming service here and have it added automatically to your library on the release date. 

Additionally you can warm up to the release by listening to the playlist Bent Sørensen Essentials, which presents an introduction to the award winning composer's impressive body of work. Listen to the playlist here on your preferred streaming service and add it to your library. 

Here you can see a selection of Dacapo Records' comprehensive Bent Sørensen catalogue.
  • Bent Sørensen

    12 Nocturnes

  • Bent Sørensen

    Concertos

  • Bent Sørensen

    Mignon

  • Bent Sørensen

    Pantomime · Rosenbad

  • Bent Sørensen

    Snowbells

  • Bent Sørensen

    Sounds Like You

  • Bent Sørensen

    La Notte

  • Bent Sørensen, Johannes Ockeghem

    Requiem

  • Bent Sørensen

    Sterbende Gärten