Mystics & Cynics

Today sees the release of Mystics & Cynics, a visionary new album by celebrated Irish singer Caitríona O’Leary and internationally acclaimed German composer/pianist Boris Bergmann. The album marks the world premiere recording of Bergmann’s evocative new song cycle Taumelnd von Glut (Reeling in the Light), alongside works by Erik Satie, John Cage, and Hildegard von Bingen.

At the heart of Mystics & Cynics lies a potent dichotomy: the ecstatic and the irreverent, the visionary and the ironic. This tension is embodied in the title itself. “The mystic looks inward toward divine truth; the cynic looks outward and sees the farce,” says Eric Fraad, founder and artistic director of Heresy Records. “In this album, those perspectives collide—and sometimes coalesce—through music of wild contrast and deep reflection.”