Pet Shop Boys Community

Mark Springer/Neil Tennant/Sacconi String Quartet
"I fell into a deep sleep of reason Everything broken and hence when I woke up from that deep sleep of reason it all made sense”

A Unique Artistic Partnership. Release Date: Apr 25, 2025

Discs: 2

This project represents a distinct and carefully considered artistic endeavor. Developed by Mark Springer (Rip, Rig and Panic) and Neil Tennant (The Pet Shop Boys), it combines a suite for piano, quartet, and quintet with vocals, accompanied by lyrics offering thoughtful introspection. The collaboration explores the intersection of divergent creative approaches-one characterised by radical expression, the other by meticulous craftsmanship. The result is a work that invites reflection and demonstrates the potential of disciplined artistic dialogue.

Available on Double Vinyl and Double CD.

Music Mark Springer is a composer, pianist and performing artist who works internationally, playing his own 'compositions in real time' as well as his scored works for solo piano, orchestra, piano and string ensembles including his most recent Opera, Army of Lovers.

Lyrics and vocal written by Neil Tennant Neil Tennant is half of the British pop duo, Pet Shop Boys, who recently celebrated 40 years since the release of their first single, West End Girls.

I love arty side projects!

Greetings Old Soak,

Wow, thanks for the heads up! This sounds ace.





Retro.

The artwork is after a Goya aquatint ...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleep ... s_Monsters

Pre-order:

https://townsendmusic.store/products/ar ... ce=Mailjet

WTF?
Are The Pet Shop Boys splitting up? is it all over?

Those are the kind of questions I would've asked and worries I would've had had this news appeard in the beginning of the 90's.

An interesting excursion that will clearly feed Neil’s modern compositional appetite. Have heard a little of Mr. Springer’s work and it’s very attractive.

Hopefully this might be more successful musically IMHO than the recent collaboration with Michael Berkeley and David Gilmour, which seemed a little “confused”, again, IMHO.

Neil Tennant: I bought a book of Goya's print series Los Caprichos which had inspired Mark's music and saw that the artworks were a satirical, cruel, nightmarish portrayal of the politics, corruption and culture of his era, exploring his dreams - or nightmares - while exposing the double standards of the ruling establishment. The lyrics I wrote for "Sleep of Reason", in response to Los Caprichos, are intended to be sardonic and dreamlike, looking back to Goya's nightmares but then reflecting on my experiences in 21st Century popular culture and media in which I have located the "monsters" Goya saw in his dreams. It often feels like we're living in an era dominated by monsters with their grotesque egos hollering through social media, unfiltered and untruthful, leaving a trail of wreckage behind them. Maybe it's always felt like that.

Tracklist:

A - Sleep of Reason / Quintet / Voice and Strings
(I) Phantoms and Monsters
(II) A Witch and a Devil
(III)Truth is for Losers
(IV) Schmutzig
(V) My Friend the Monster
(VI) The Madness of the Summer

B - Sleep of Reason / Quartet / String Quartet
1. Morn
2. Noon
3. Night

C - Sleep of Reason / Piano Solo
1. Flight

D - Sleep of Reason / Piano Solo
1. Break
2. Moon

I wonder if there will be any live performances?

Dog wrote: Fri 07 Feb 2025, 5:58 am Neil Tennant: I bought a book of Goya's print series Los Caprichos which had inspired Mark's music and saw that the artworks were a satirical, cruel, nightmarish portrayal of the politics, corruption and culture of his era, exploring his dreams - or nightmares - while exposing the double standards of the ruling establishment. The lyrics I wrote for "Sleep of Reason", in response to Los Caprichos, are intended to be sardonic and dreamlike, looking back to Goya's nightmares but then reflecting on my experiences in 21st Century popular culture and media in which I have located the "monsters" Goya saw in his dreams. It often feels like we're living in an era dominated by monsters with their grotesque egos hollering through social media, unfiltered and untruthful, leaving a trail of wreckage behind them. Maybe it's always felt like that.

Tracklist:

A - Sleep of Reason / Quintet / Voice and Strings
(I) Phantoms and Monsters
(II) A Witch and a Devil
(III)Truth is for Losers
(IV) Schmutzig
(V) My Friend the Monster
(VI) The Madness of the Summer

B - Sleep of Reason / Quartet / String Quartet
1. Morn
2. Noon
3. Night

C - Sleep of Reason / Piano Solo
1. Flight

D - Sleep of Reason / Piano Solo
1. Break
2. Moon

The track titles are.... well not very promising. And it seems the 2nd part of the album is without Neil's involvement.

''The collaboration explores the intersection of divergent creative approaches-one characterised by radical expression, the other by meticulous craftsmanship.''

I wonder whether this means that it's Mark Springer's radical expression and Neil's meticulous craftsmanship or vice versa or none of the above!

So an everything and the kitchen sink, banging with lasers album then.

Gabby wrote: Fri 07 Feb 2025, 12:01 pm So an everything and the kitchen sink, banging with lasers album then.

Hehe..

I'm still waiting for ''Neil sings Noël'' which Chris said should be the title of an NT solo album...

[Umlaut added to clarify that this wouldn't be a Christmas project...]

Seems great. Looking forward to this.

telys wrote: Fri 07 Feb 2025, 8:23 am

The track titles are.... well not very promising. And it seems the 2nd part of the album is without Neil's involvement.

Schmutzig translates as grubby or dirty in case fans haven't looked this up!

Yes, re: the second half being instrumental.

So no chance of rhyming ''Noon and ''Moon'' with June and spoon...