My name is Hajo Sanders and I play the piano. I’m very excited about the release of my new album ‘Nachtstücke’! Neo Classical piano music surrounded by voice and electronics. On this site you can read some information about me and the album.
Please take a look around and maybe enjoy some music!
As a child of German parents, I was born in Amsterdam and grew up on the island of Langeoog. Although there were no pianos in my childhood, I had the unexplainable desire to play the piano as long as I can remember. Probably the old grand piano of my great-grandmother, which disappeared from my life with her death made a strong impression on me when I was three years old. At twelve, after a detour via the home organ, my parents surprised me with a piano that had arrived under adventurous circumstances on the island…
After graduation I left the island to study both classical and jazz piano in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Essen and Hilversum. After completing my studies, I worked intensively on synthesizers, electronics and recording technology.
In 2009 I released my first album ‘Married Horses’. (Could be one of the best kept secrets in music history…) A lot of synthesizers and electronics (no acoustic piano) with influences from Weather Report, electronic Dance music and some classical stuff but you can’t really compare it with something else. You can still listen to the album on Spotify.
Always searching I have never been able to commit myself to one style. This stylistic openness has continued in my work as a freelance musician and led to the fact that there are only a few situations that I did not join as a musician.
From stadium concerts to classical song recitals in churches, from polonaise in a beer tent, to free improvisation in an art gallery and jazz in the pub, everything was there…
After years of work as a freelance musician, it was time to start looking for my musical essence. My home island of Langeoog, which never really let me down, seemed to me the right place for this search. That’s why I went to the island in winter 2012 to compose something new.
Hardly arrived on the island I found myself at minus fourteen degrees in a winter dream landscape.
While the musical ideas developed very quickly, inspired by the remarkable atmosphere of the frozen island, the finishing and recording of the compositions for my album ‘Nachtstücke’ became a process that has dragged on for years. Time and again interrupted by other important projects or events in my life that made me unable to continue my work on the album.
In addition to ten original compositions the song ‘Lili Marleen’ is the only cover on the album. Lale Andersen the singer of the original lived not far from my parents’ home on Langeoog. I grew up with this song and really wanted to record it with Annette de Rozario. We used my old piano on the island which has not been tuned since I left 30 years ago.
Looking back to the finished music I really have the feeling that I was able to find the musical essence that I was looking for. Captured in the sound of the acoustic piano.
I can say that this album has become an ode to Langeoog. Which was not my intention but just happened.
If you are interested in buying a CD please send me a mail using the contact form below and I will send you a copy (10 Euro ex shipping)
On 22 may 2020 my new single ‘Morgen’ will be released on all streaming platforms. This song by Richard Strauss has always been one of my favourites. I don’t know any other song that gives so much hope and joy. Long ago Annette de Rozario and I performed it very often. And now, 25 years …
Finally my album ‘Nachtstücke’ is available on Spotify and all other streaming platforms. Thanks everybody for the support!
Just finished the last video of my album ‘Nachtstücke’. I really enjoyed working with visuals. Everything is ready now and will be released on Spotify, YouTube and all the other platforms on the 3rd of May. Exciting!
