FOR YOUR GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION

TOMBEAUX

CHRISTINA SANDSENGEN

BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM

 

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Tombeaux is a deeply evocative and immersive musical journey, composed and performed by internationally acclaimed Norwegian classical guitar artist Christina Sandsengen. Conceived as a unified cycle of eleven tombeaux — musical homages written in memory of her closest loved ones, all of whom she lost too soon — the album explores themes of death, grief, love, and longing through the intimate voice of the classical guitar.

The recording took place in Emanuel Vigeland’s mausoleum in Oslo, one of Norway’s most enigmatic spaces. With frescoes depicting life and death and an extraordinary reverberation that turns each note into a lingering resonance, the mausoleum became an integral part of the music itself. Every sound expands and dissolves like an echo of memory, amplifying the album’s emotional depth.

Rooted in the classical tradition and inspired by the Baroque, Sandsengen conveys something raw and deeply personal, yet universal in its expression of human fragility and endurance. Tombeaux is not only a cycle of homages — it is a profoundly personal, yet universal artistic statement.

Through Tombeaux, Sandsengen not only reaffirms her place as one of today’s most distinctive classical guitar voices, but also offers a profoundly personal testament of love, loss, and remembrance — a musical journey that has already begun to receive strong international acclaim.

 

 

★★★★★

“From the heart, may it go to the heart”: it went to mine – a truly touching meditation on grief, and hope.”

– Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine

 

★★★★★

“Stunning new music from a Norwegian classical guitarist… heartfelt, thought-provoking, and ultimately uplifting and comforting.”

– Anton Angelo, Fanfare Magazine

 

“Truly extraordinary… in every moment we have the feeling of being before an important and, above all, very personal guitarist.”

– Josep Pascual, Scherzo

 

“…by turns emphatic, fragile, bold, tender and wild…”

– William Yeoman, Gramophone Magazine

 

“Guitarist Christina Sandsengen is a courageous artist who has followed her own path and created her own sound.”

– Ola Nordal, Ballade

 

“She is a sensitive listener, who delves deep into the spirit of the music.”

– Guy Engels, Pizzicato

 

“…for some reason, classical guitar seems to have attracted fewer women than just about any other instrument. Christina Sandsengen is here to change that.”

– Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine

 

 

CREDITS

 

ARTWORK
Christina Sandsengen