MAX RICHTER Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Max Richter's album, In A Landscape, is his ninth studio effort, and has been recorded at his Studio Richter Mahr in Oxfordshireia space designed with his wife, artist Yulia Mahr. This album marks a significant chapter in Richter's illustrious career. Described by Richter as a exploration of "reconciling polarities," weaves together electronic textures with acoustic instrumentation, bridging the human with the natural world and addressing life's profound questions alongside its simple pleasures. Richter elaborates that the album continues the thematic exploration begun with his 2004 work, The Blue Notebooks, but viewed through the lens of contemporary life. The lead track, 'Movement, Before All Flowers,' exemplifies this blend of depth and delicacy, offering a look into Richter's contemplation on existence and the passage of time. In A Landscape is not just a musical journey but a reflective self-portrait. It shows a composer ever in dialogue with the world around him.

Review: Max Richter's ninth solo album, In A Landscape, is his first recorded at his tranquil new studio in rural Oxfordshire, Studio Richter Mahr, which is a minimalist, eco-conscious retreat he shares with his wife. The album explores "reconciling polarities" and blends electronic and acoustic elements with the human experience and elements from the natural world. Comprising 19 exquisitely well-crafted and coherent tracks, this record serves as a reflective counterweight to the urgency of previous projects and focuses on Richter's immediate surroundings and a range of influences from Bach to Keats. In capturing moments of introspection using a simple palette of string quintet, piano, organ, and analogue synths, Richter impresses once again here.

Review: Max Richter's latest work Sleep: Tranquillity Base first arrived on Deutsche Grammophon for World Sleep Day. Ot is a thirty minute work split across two parts and are inspired by the moon landings. It is music that "functions as a vessel that disconnects and travels through the body of work, allowing art to provide something which resembles peace within ourselves." It also comes with a couple of belting remixes from much loved contemporary innovators Alva Noto and Kelly Lee Owens. There is a reason Max Richter is so well revered and his music has had over three billion streams and this EP is one of them.

Review: As this expansive reissue proves, Max Richter's 2004 album The Blue Notebooks remains one of the greatest neo-classical works of recent decades. The album was famously inspired by the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and featured narration from actress Tilda Swinton. Such was the record's impact, in fact, that numerous pieces subsequently appeared on a variety of high profile movie soundtracks. To celebrate the work's 15th birthday, Richter has bundled the album with a second disc of largely unheard material. This includes a couple of intriguing remixes by Jlin and Konx-Om-Pax, two archive tracks produced during the album sessions, and a handful of new recordings of key instrumentals. These are all excellent, of course, but still pale in comparison to the inspired original album.