Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album “Reflections”

Sufjan Stevens at the 90th Annual Academy Awards in 2018
Sufjan Stevens at the 90th Annual Academy Awards in 2018. Photo by Rob Latour/Shutterstock (9446184dr)

Sufjan Stevens is one of the most interesting musicians working today and his next album will be another proof of his incredible versatility. He announced his next studio album Reflections and gave us a taste of things to come with the new single “Ekstasis”.

Reflections is basically a studio recording of a score that Stevens wrote for the ballet by choreographer Justin Peck, performed by Houston Ballet in 2019. This is the sixth collaboration between the duo, who kicked off their collaboration with two ballets for the New York City Ballet: Year of the Rabbit (2012) and Everywhere We Go (2014).

This time around, Stevens’ score was written for two pianos and eleven dancers. Reflections will feature a studio recording of the seven movements, starting with “Ekstasis” because it perfectly captures the energy of the whole album.

“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,” said Stevens in a statement.

Reflections will be released on May 19 via Asthmatic Kitty Records, and it’s been described as a record about “energy, light, and duality.” It’s Stevens’ second album consisting of compositions for piano, following The Decalogue in 2019, based on Justin Peck’s ballet of the same name.