Music Review | Works of Max Richter | Jean-Michel Serres, Composer-pianist (Apfel Café Music): Website

Profile

Max Richter is the representative musician, the leading figure and the pioneer of today’s Post-classical music and the Contemporary Classical scenes. He is German born, British composer, multi-instrumentalist and music producer. He is active from the middle of 90’s, produced and performed various genres and types of music such as studio recording albums, experimental performances, ballet, and many cinema scores and music for television. And a member of the six pianist group, the repertory of the group is Contemporary Classic and Minimal Music, “Piano Circus”.

His characteristics is mixture of the orthodox Classical Music and its way of composition and instruments, and electronic and computer technologies. Especially the string composition with synthesizer pads and sequences, and electronic noises.

Already his compositions were played as “Classical Music” by some pianists.

Solo Albums

The Blue Notebooks (130701, 2004 / Deutsche Grammophon, 2014)

“The Blue Notebooks” is the second album of Max Richter released in 2004 and the theme is a protest for 2003 invasion of Iraq and a meditation for violence and war. This album features the readings of “The Blue Octavo Notebooks” by Franz Kafka, “Hymn of the Pearl” and “Unattainable Earth” by Czesław Miłosz.

“On the Nature of Daylight” is a minimal and significant string quartet song with no apparent melody. This song might be the main song of this album, I think one of best compositions of Mac Richter.

“Shadow Journal” begins with type writer noises, a reading and pad arpeggio. A violin slo, electronic noises, piano arpeggio, strings and a timpani follows. A beautiful and mysterious song.

“Organum” is atmospheric track is consist of highly modulated synthesizer pad(s) and a piano, and a very high tone and keen synthesiser pad play a lead part.

“The Trees” is mysterious and malancholic song by piano arpeggios and strings passages. The plays gradually become passionate.

“Horizon Variations”, “Vladimir Blues”, “Written on the Sky” and “A Catalogue of Afternoons” is good short piano solo pieces.

Song from Before (FatCat Records, 2006 / Deutsche Grammophon, 2014)

“Song from Before” is a Post-classical album of Max Richter. The feature of this album is combinations of Classical instruments string ensemble and piano, and electronics technologies and synthesisers. Some songs contains readings of quotations of novels of Haruki Murakami, are red by Robert Wyatt.

“Flowers for You” is a simple pathetic and significant composition, which is consist of strings, synthesizer pads and electronic noises.

“Harmonium” features a synth pad and its reflections with glockenspiel phrases like Ambient music.

“Autumn Music” is a piano quintet elegant and melancholic composition. A piano solely plays arpeggio backings. Strings play melodies and they cross.

“Sunlight” is a pathetic also passionate strings quintet song.

“Autumn Music 2”, like the “1”, is a piano solo elegant and melancholic composition.

“From the Rue Vilin” and “Leo” are short beautiful arpeggio based minimal piano pieces.

infra (2010, Deutsche Grammophon)

“infra” by Max Richter is a Post-classical and Electronica, contains various types and tastes of tracks. An experimental also orthodox and classical album it also includes elements of Ambient, Minimal Music and Noise Music.

Main instruments are string ensemble(s), a piano and synthesizers. Almost tracks are highly modulated by effects and are attached electronic and environmental noises. It’s a unique mixture of Classical Music and experimental sound.

“infra 1” is a atmospheric song like Ambient of synthesizer pads, environmental noises and strings.

“journey 1” is a song of piano arpeggios and electronic noises.

“Infra 2”, on the recording, a synthesizer pad arpeggio and string instruments crosses.

“journey 4” is an impressive apathetic minimal string emsenble song.

“journey 5” is a minimal strings song like Phillip Glass, but the later part strings sound is distorted and overloaded by effects.

“infra 8” is an impressive grandiose and solitary strings ensemble composition.

SLEEP: Tranquility Base (2023, Deutsche Grammophon)

“SLEEP: Tranquility Base” by Max Richter is a music for sleeping, and an album of Post-classical style variations.

Classical or Celtic Folk tastes theme and phrases are played by the method of Minimal Music. Richter must play an organ and synthesizer(s), many guests play string instruments, sequences pads and bases of synthesizers, and an electric base, a female singer sings vocalises.

Between each track there are no interval. I can’t listen the divides while listening. Each part inset by fade in slowly and come out by fade out slowly.

A very unique, impressive, calm, Classical and modern, Post-classical work. I associated this album with works of Steve Reich, Mike Oldfield and Tangerine Dream.