Release Date 25th April 2025
"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. 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 characterized by radical expression, the other by meticulous craftsmanship. The result is a work that invites reflection and demonstrates the potential of disciplined artistic dialogue. The Sources of the Project
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.
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.