- First dedicated album of music by Annelies Van Parys.
- Spectral colour meets musical architecture: her music combines the sonic exploration of spectral music with clear structural thinking, creating works that are both texturally rich and formally compelling.
- A landmark release for contemporary Belgian music: this recording positions Van Parys within the international contemporary repertoire, offering listeners a definitive entry point into her poetic, textural, and highly expressive musical language.
This first portrait album devoted to Annelies Van Parys reveals a distinctive voice in contemporary European music. Drawing on spectralism, she builds luminous orchestral textures that unite timbral exploration with clear musical architecture and strong dramaturgy. Conductor Marit Strindlund notes: “I find Van Parys to be one of the most interesting contemporary European composers… a uniquely individual artistic voice is always shining through her music.”
Annelies Van Parys (b. 1975) is one of Belgium’s most prominent composers, having earned acclaim for both orchestral compositions and solo and chamber works. She also cherishes a love for the human voice, and often writes for opera and musical theatre: since 2007, most of her musical theatre work has been hosted by Muziektheater Transparant, where she is composer in residence.
She has received commissions directly from organisations including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, the European Union Youth Orchestra, Bozar, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Folkoperan Stockholm, the Biennale Musica di Venezia, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and has written for ensembles such as Ensemble Recherche (Freiburg), Ictus, KammarensembleN, Quatuor Diotima, Asko|Schönberg, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, EXAUDI, and the SWR Vocal Ensemble. Her music has been played in a wide range of European concert halls, including the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Wiener Musikverein, the Barbican Centre, Den Norske Opera & Ballett (Bergen), the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin), Theater an der Wien, and the Royal Opera House, London. Her many prizes and awards include the Fedora–Rolf Liebermann Prize for Opera.
Annelies Van Parys currently works as professor of composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels, a department of the Erasmus University College Brussels.
Catalog number: AR 083