Pioneering composer Max Richter today releases his highly anticipated new album In A Landscape via Decca Records/Universal Music Canada. It is a record about reconciling polarities, bringing together the electronic and the acoustic, the human and the natural world, the big questions of life and the quiet pleasures of living – a fleeting self-portrait of a musician in constant motion.
Max Richter says: “In A Landscape is a protest record, but it’s more concerned with trying to get beyond polarities and beyond oppositions because the world is very polarised now. Everything is very extreme and I think there is a tendency for people not to be able to talk to one another. What I’m trying to do with this material is to reconcile opposites. We have to do that.”
Richter previewed the record at an immersive Pitchblack Playback listening event in central London on Wednesday evening before a live QandA with fans. There were also similar events held in New York, Amsterdam, Brussels and Sydney to mark the launch of the album. Additionally, he will appear at Rough Trade East in London next Wednesday for an intimate in-store live performance and signing (more information HERE).
In A Landscape marks a significant evolution in Richter’s musical journey, as he delves deeper into the themes of optimism and human emotion accompanied by an innovative exploration of electronic sounds and field recordings. It is his first solo album recorded at Studio Richter Mahr, the minimalist, eco-conscious creative retreat designed and operated by Richter and his wife, visual artist Yulia Mahr. Shifting focus to Richter’s immediate surroundings, In A Landscape marks out a psychic space in which to meditate on the present while recognising a lifetime of artistic influence, from Bach and Purcell to the poetry of Keats, Wordsworth and Anne Carson. He also found inspiration in a number of books which he was reading at the time of writing In A Landscape, with many of the track titles on the album named after lines from literature and some of his own treasured paperbacks pictured on the album cover.
Interspersing the studio compositions are nine ‘Life Studies’ assembled from field recordings and the hubbub of the everyday: footsteps through the woods, eggs sizzling in the kitchen, a Hong Kong airport trolley, practicing Mozart on the piano. These simple acts of noticing from a zen-minded creative bring the “landscape” of the album’s title into focus, calling back to the found sounds that distinguished Richter’s breakthrough albums, 2002’s Memoryhouse and 2004’s The Blue Notebooks.
In A Landscape employs homogenous musical language to Richter’s seminal album The Blue Notebooks, with the two albums in a way bookending this significant chapter of Richter’s life and career. It is presented as an open conversation with the audience, asking them to consider the dualities in their own life, what personal stories come to mind while listening and, ultimately, serving as an invitation to imagination.
In support of In A Landscape, Richter will be embarking on his first ever world tour, marking a coming of age for the globally celebrated musician. His eagerly awaited tour will see him play across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Canada, and Australia throughout 2024 and 2025, including shows at London’s legendary Royal Festival Hall and the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Tickets are on-sale now (more information HERE).
One the most influential and acclaimed composers of his generation, Richter is known for his ability to seamlessly blend traditional orchestrations with modern electronic elements. With a career spanning decades, Richter’s impact on the music industry cannot be overstated. His unparalleled ability to translate profound human experiences into musical compositions has earned him a dedicated global following, with his catalogue amassing over three billion streams to date. Notably, his record-breaking album SLEEP stands as one of the most streamed classical albums of all time.
His seminal album The Blue Notebooks continues to reach new audiences even as it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024. ‘On The Nature of Daylight’, the album’s epic centerpiece, recently featured on HBO’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us, as well as appearing on numerous film and TV soundtracks over the years. Richter performed the album in full at Glastonbury Festival last year alongside Tilda Swinton, who joined Richter onstage to recite the spoken word pieces she contributed for the original recording.
Beyond his solo endeavors, Richter’s is a prolific collaborator who has worked with esteemed creatives and visionaries across multiple disciplines. From scoring Dior shows for Kim Jones to composing for ballets choreographed by Wayne McGregor or his contributions to the world of cinema and TV with directors Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, and Ari Folman, Richter’s versatility knows no bounds.
Richter’s collaborative partnership with Wayne McGregor goes from strength to strength, with the acclaimed composer contributing an original score for McGregor’s next production Maddaddam at London’s Royal Opera House in November; a visionary new ballet based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian epic of annihilation and survival. In addition, the pair’s previous collaboration, Woolf Works, received its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in June.
Richter is co-founder of Studio Richter Mahr alongside his partner, visual artist Yulia Mahr. Set in the English countryside in Oxfordshire, they built the multimedia production studio inside a former farmhouse and have powered it with cutting-edge solar and heat-pump technology. Located within 31 acres of woodland, the duo have a huge passion for using the land to farm and provide a sustainable working environment, serving as a space where both emerging and established creatives can come to develop their work.
Max Richter World Tour Dates:
Sat 07/09/24 - Geneva, Switzerland - La Bâtie-Festival de Genève
Mon 28/10/24 - Glasgow, UK - Royal Concert Hall - Final Remaining Tickets
Wed 30/10/24 - Dublin, Ireland - National Concert Hall - Final Remaining Tickets
Thu 31/10/24 - Dublin, Ireland - National Concert Hall - Final Remaining Tickets
Mon 04/11/24 - Manchester, UK - Bridgewater Hall
Tue 05/11/24 - Birmingham, UK - Symphony Hall
Wed 06/11/24 - Bristol, UK - Beacon - Final Remaining Tickets
Fri 08/11/24 - London, UK - Royal Festival Hall - Sold Out
Sat 09/11/24 - London, UK - Royal Festival Hall (Matinee) - Sold Out
Sat 09/11/24 - London, UK - Royal Festival Hall - Sold Out
Sat 16/11/24 - Paris, France - Philharmonie (Matinee) - Sold Out
Sat 16/11/24 - Paris, France - Philharmonie - Sold Out
Mon 18/11/24 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast - Final Remaining Tickets
Tues 19/11/24 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
Fri 22/11/24 - Oslo, Norway - Oslo Opera House - Sold Out
Sat 23/11/24 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm Concert Hall
Mon 25/11/24 - Copenhagen, Denmark - DR Koncerthuset - Final Remaining Tickets
Tue 26/11/24 - Hamburg, Germany - Laeiszhalle - Final Remaining Tickets
Thu 28/11/24 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Royal Theatre Carre - Sold Out
Sat 30/11/24 - Brussels, Belgium - BOZAR - Sold Out
Sun 01/12/24 - Antwerp, Belgium - Queen Elizabeth Hall - Sold Out
Mon 02/12/24 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Kurhaus Wiesbaden - Final Remaining Tickets
Wed 04/12/24 - Munich, Germany - Isarphilharmonie
Thu 05/12/24 - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - Philharmonie Luxembourg
Tue 11/02/25 - Brisbane, Australia - QPAC Concert Hall
Fri 14/02/25 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney Opera House
Sat 15/02/25 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney Opera House
Mon 17/02/25 - Melbourne, Australia - Hamer Hall
Tue 18/02/25 - Melbourne, Australia - Hamer Hall
Thu 20/02/25 - Adelaide, Australia - Town Hall
Fri 21/02/25 - Adelaide, Australia - Town Hall
Sun 23/02/25 - Perth, Australia - Riverside Theatre
Sat 26/04/25 - Boston, MA - Colonial Theatre
Tue 29/04/25 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
Fri 02/05/25 - Washington DC - Kennedy Center
Sat 03/05/25 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Academy Of Music
Sun 04/05/25 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
Tue 06/05/25 - Chicago, IL - Symphony Center
Thu 08/05/25 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
Fri 09/05/25 - Los Angeles, CA - Walt Disney Concert Hall
Sat 10/05/25 - Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall
Released today via Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada in digital format, the new edition features four additional tracks, including the never-before released “OK,” alongside the album’s original 11 songs
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