Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows (Latin: "Eternal Sleep"; often referred to as Sopor Aeternus or Sopor) is a darkwave musical project based in Frankfurt founded in 1989 by Anna-Varney Cantodea. Since the project's beginnings, Anna-Varney's music has gained notoriety for being extremely personalized, melancholic and pessimistic, drawing on a number of different musical and visual styles. Despite years of media attention in Europe, not much is known about Cantodea and her personal life. All known information has been attained from interviews and publications in print. What is established is that Anna-Varney Cantodea is a non-operative trans woman, and has decided to remain as such, citing "spiritual conflict" if gender reassignment surgery is performed. Her name comes from the common name Anna, as well as the Latin word cantodea, meaning "female singer." Cantodea had been using the pseudonym Varney prior to 1997, with that name coming from the Victorian Gothic horror story Varney the Vampire or The Feast of Blood. Though not publicly stated, Cantodea is believed to be in her 50s.