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The Max Richter World Tour halts at Bozar, Brussels, on Saturday 30 November. The acclaimed German-British composer and pianist will present his brand-new album ‘In A Landscape’ in the first part, while the second part is reserved for ‘The Blue Notebooks’, the iconic album which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
‘In A Landscape’ is Richter’s 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. Richter 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’.
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, receives its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House this June.
Line-up
• Max Richter - Piano
• Eloisa Fleur Thom and Max Baillie - Violin
• Connie Pharoah - Viola
• Max Ruisi and Zara Hudson-Kozdoj - Cello