The Circle Bjarke Falgren & Sönke Meinen

• Sönke Meinen (b. 1991), Bjarke Falgren (b. 1979): Droplets:
• 1Meinen, Falgren: Droplets05:58
• Train Home:
• 2Meinen, Falgren: Train Home04:26
• Harvest Song:
• 3Meinen, Falgren: Harvest Song04:25
• The Castellan's Waltz:
• 4Meinen, Falgren: The Castellan's Waltz02:59
• Bench on the Hill:
• 5Meinen, Falgren: Bench on the Hill04:35
• The Willow Tree:
• 6Meinen, Falgren: The Willow Tree04:09
• Critter's Carnival:
• 7Meinen, Falgren: Critter's Carnival02:51
• Falls of Measach:
• 8Meinen, Falgren: Falls of Measach03:07
• Behind the Wavy Glass:
• 9Meinen, Falgren: Behind the Wavy Glass03:19
• Eat, Play, Sleep, Repeat:
• 10Meinen, Falgren: Eat, Play, Sleep, Repeat03:45
• The Circle:
• 11Meinen, Falgren: The Circle05:41
• Total Runtime45:15

Info for The Circle

The new duo album "The Circle" is a tribute to being there for each other, listening to each other and the power of strong cohesion. It counters the hype surrounding "self-made people" and is dedicated to friendships and families who support and support each other - and thus create something deeper and more valuable than would ever be possible on their own. On "The Circle", the music - as a universally understandable language - not only brings together a variety of styles such as folk, classical music, fingerstyle guitar, jazz and film music to create an incredibly colourful overall sound, but also unites musicians from all over the world in the title track: from a Chinese guzheng player to Indian tablas and Turkish oud to American slide guitar. The pieces on "The Circle" are sometimes very tender and sometimes full of rousing energy, but over 45 minutes they create the feeling of a warm embrace - and not least a sense of togetherness across all borders.

Virtuosic playfulness and seemingly infinite creativity – from the first note on, violinist Bjarke Falgren and guitarist Sönke Meinen leave all traditions behind and enthuse their audiences all over the world. In their concerts they break the stylistic boundaries between folk, jazz, world music and classical music. Their compositions are expressive and vibrant, and especially the quiet notes draw the listener into their musical world. Nevertheless, the two musicians never take themselves too seriously, leave room for spontaneous interaction and accompany their pieces with humorous and touching stories. ​

Denmark-based Bjarke Falgren is regularly touring all around the world. In addition to his duo with Sönke Meinen, he performs solo, with bandoneon player Paolo Russo or his band Hot N Spicy. He writes and produces music for film and theater productions and is a much requested studio musician. Legendary jazz violinist Svend Asmussen entitled Bjarke Falgren as his musical heir and said about him: “Bjarke Falgren is the hardest swingin’ fiddler I have seen since Stuff Smith”. ​

In addition to performing with Bjarke Falgren, Sönke Meinen also plays as a soloist and with guitarist Philipp Wiechert. He was a prize winner of various international competitions, in 2016 he won two of the most prestigious prizes worldwide: the “Guitar Masters” competition (first prize) and the “European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). Guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel called him “one of the most creative guitarists of the current guitar scene”.

When the two musicians share the stage and coax an unusually wide range of timbres from their instruments, from warm and mellow to powerful and percussive, an extraordinary concert experience is guaranteed. For their highly acclaimed duo debut album "Postcard to Self", they were nominated for the Danish Music Awards in 2019: In the categories "Album of the Year (World)" and "Composer of the Year". Their almost exclusively original compositions are sometimes very delicate, sometimes highly energetic, but always captivating, full of childlike playfulness and emotion. High-class, entertaining, heart-warming!

Bjarke Falgren, violin
Sönke Meinen, guitar

Bjarke Falgren
was born in 1979 and grew up in Næstved/Denmark. He studied at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and held teaching positions at different Danish music conservertoires.

In addition to duo concerts with Sönke Meinen, Bjarke Falgren tours solo, with his own „Bjarke Falgren Quartet“, his band „Hot n Spicy“ and his duo with Bandoneon virtuoso Paolo Russo. He collaborated with renowned musicians like Mike Sheridan, Mike Marshall, Jens Lysdal and many others. ​

Bjarke Falgren also gained a high reputation as a film composer of several documentaries and TV series such as „Præst søger Paradis“ and „Cool Cats“. For his work as a violinist and composer, he was awarded with four Danish Music Awards in 2010 and the Ellen & Svend Asmussen prize as well as the Trelleborg Foundations Culture prize in 2017. Bjarke Falgren lives in Næstved. ​

Sönke Meinen, born in 1991 and raised in Ihlow/Northern Germany, studied under Prof. Thomas Fellow, Prof. Stephan Bormann and Reentko Dirks at the Dresden University of Music, where he held a teaching position himself from 2019 to 2022.

Sönke Meinen played concerts all around the world (Australia, China, Japan and almost every European country) and won numerous competitions - in 2016 he collected awards at two of the largest international guitar competitions: the well-respected "Guitar Masters" (first prize) and the "European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). In addition to performing with Bjarke Falgren, Sönke Meinen also plays as a soloist and with guitarist Philipp Wiechert. Sönke Meinen lives in Hamburg. ​

In addition to their musical work, Sönke Meinen and Bjarke Falgren are sought-after lecturers and workshop leaders as well as initiators and artistic directors of their own music festivals. While Sönke Meinen organises the annual „Freepsum International Guitar Festival“ together with guitarist Philipp Wiechert, Bjarke Falgren hosts the „Falgren and Friends Festival Night“ every year in his hometown Næstved.

Sönke Meinen
born in 1991 and raised in Ihlow/Northern Germany, studied under Prof. Thomas Fellow, Prof. Stephan Bormann and Reentko Dirks at the Dresden University of Music, where he held a teaching position himself from 2019 to 2022.

Sönke Meinen won numerous competitions - in 2016 he collected awards at two of the largest international guitar competitions: the well-respected "Guitar Masters" (first prize) and the "European Guitar Award“ (sponsoring prize). Sönke Meinen is not only performing in solo concerts, but also in duo projects with Danish violin virtuoso Bjarke Falgren as well as with guitarist and theatre musician Philipp Wiechert. Bjarke Falgren’s and Sönke Meinen’s highly acclaimed duo debut album "Postcard to Self" earned two nominations for the Danish Music Awards in 2019.

In addition to his musical work as a guitarist and composer, Sönke Meinen is a renowned lecturer and workshop leader as well as the initiator and artistic director of the Freepsum International Guitar Festival, which has been taking place annually since 2011.

This album contains no booklet.