Sufjan Stevens’ new album Reflections, released on May 19, embodies a more classical tone compared to the lyrical oases of the star’s past work. Stevens, alongside pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick, created a score that makes you feel like a character inside a timeless story.
The album, commissioned by the Houston Ballet, originally premiered in March 2019. It features seven airfully light tracks bound to leave listeners in a state of tranquility.
Reflections is based on choreographer Justin Peck’s ballet Reflections—a storyless performance that expresses relationships between dancers. The album is a ballet score intended for the stage.
Spending my Sunday morning listening to Stevens’ new album in a Stittsville plant-filled coffee shop felt like being immersed in a reflective film. I came into the listening experience expecting evocative lyrics akin to Stevens’ “Mystery of Love” or “Fourth of July.” Instead, I found myself wanting to see these performances live, equipped with the dancers the album was written for.
In Stevens’ words, Reflections is about “energy, light and duality,” and these elements are abundantly present in his work.
Classical music has always underscored Stevens’ art, and Reflections is an impressive full-fledged jump into the genre.
The album’s mystical and philosophical track titles introduce another intriguing aspect.
The first track, “Ekstasis,” translates in Greek to “the state of being beside oneself or rapt out of oneself[…]the experience of an inner vision of God of one’s relation to or union with the divine.” This opening song sets the tone and goal of the album: to create a celestial experience using only instruments.
Most of the track titles relate to the Greek language and touch on concepts of spirituality and divinity.
Consistent throughout the score is the theme of unpredictability, with “Ekstasis” introducing both the album’s calm fluidity and fast-paced intensity.
For me, Reflections’ most notable track is “Euphoros,” named after the Greek variation of “euphoria,” meaning “healthy.” The track starts slow, almost hopefully, before speeding up halfway. It eventually becomes impossible to absorb all of the technique and dynamics changes. This is a song I keep coming back to.
Reflections is perhaps only for us Stevens fans who enjoy listening to instrumental and classical pieces. However, Stevens brings his usual dreamlike depth to the album, creating an intimacy between his music and audience. It’s an album worth listening to, if only for a brief introspective moment.
Featured image by Kyra Vellinga/The Charlatan.
