Caroline Liesegang Marks Ten Years of Øyeblikk with Øyeblikk: Recomposed

Ten years after her breakthrough debut album, Øyeblikk, captivated South African and international classical audiences, acclaimed composer Caroline Liesegang returns with a bold reimagining: Øyeblikk: Recomposed. The new release celebrates a decade of growth, reflection, and artistic maturity.

Originally released in 2015 when Liesegang was just 25, Øyeblikk established her as one of South Africa’s most promising classical composers. The album debuted at number one on the iTunes Classical Chart and earned the iTunes Best of 2015 Award for Best Classical Album. Liesegang reflects, “I never thought the work was particularly good, but the idea that others would love it as much as they did was incredible to me. It was a surreal moment—one that changed everything.”

The ten-year anniversary offered a chance to revisit her earliest compositions with a fresh perspective. Øyeblikk: Recomposed is not merely a rearrangement; it is a complete re-visioning. Five of the seven original pieces have been entirely rewritten. Only Forelsket remains unchanged, serving as a quiet anchor to her past, while Rød Regndråper became central to the reinvention of the album.

Liesegang stripped back the complexity of her original work, exchanging urgency for restraint and introducing new textures. Most notably, she incorporated a felted piano, lending the album a softened intimacy. This approach allows silence and space to play as significant a role as the notes themselves. She explains, “If the original album was about capturing a moment, this one is the moment of now.”

Working once again with longtime producer and engineer Jacques du Plessis, who recorded the original Øyeblikk, Liesegang found herself reconnecting not only with the music but also with the collaborative energy that shaped her early career. She recalls, “Back then, we were both exploring. Now we’ve grown up together, in a way. Jacques makes the studio feel like a place of safety. He guides you gently, and with so much respect for the music.”

Øyeblikk: Recomposed is a time capsule revisited with care, humility, and imagination. Liesegang transforms her compositions, allowing them to grow, unravel, and breathe in ways they never had before. This anniversary edition reflects the experiences of a decade lived—motherhood, illness, healing, and deep listening—while preserving the heart and essence that defined her original work.

The release of Øyeblikk: Recomposed reinforces Caroline Liesegang’s place as a leading voice in classical music, demonstrating that true artistry evolves with time while remaining rooted in the moments that first defined it.