- Max Richter
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This article is about the music composer. For the member of the Nazi party, see Max Scheubner-Richter.
Max Richter Born 1966, Germany Occupations Composer, pianist, producer Years active 1990s–present Labels Fat Cat Records Website maxrichtermusic.com Max Richter (born 1966) is a German-born British composer.
Contents
Biography
Richter studied composition and piano at University of Edinburgh, the Royal Academy of Music and with Luciano Berio in Florence.[1] After finishing his studies, Richter co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus.[2] He stayed with the group for ten years, commissioning and performing works by Arvo Pärt, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Julia Wolfe and Steve Reich. The ensemble was signed to Decca/Argo, producing five albums. In 1996, Max collaborated with Future Sound of London on their album Dead Cities, beginning as a pianist, but ultimately working on several tracks, as well as co-writing one track (titled "Max"). Richter subsequently worked with the band over a period of two years, also contributing to the albums The Isness and The Peppermint Tree and Seeds of Superconsciousness. In 2000, Richter worked with Mercury Prize winner Roni Size on the Reprazent album In the Mode. Richter produced Vashti Bunyan's album Lookaftering (2005)[3] and Kelli Ali's album Rocking Horse in 2008.[4]
Solo work
In 2002, Richter released his solo debut Memoryhouse, an experimental album of “documentary music” recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, which explores real and imaginary stories and histories.[5] It combines ambient sounds, voices, and poetry readings. The album went out of print several years later, but was re-released in 2009. Four tracks (“Europe, After the Rain”, “The Twins (Prague)”, “Fragment“, and “Embers”) were used in the six-part 2005 BBC documentary Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution produced by Laurence Rees.[6] On his second album, The Blue Notebooks (2004), actress Tilda Swinton reads from Kafka’s Blue Octavo and other "shadow journals".[7] Songs from Before (2006) features Robert Wyatt reading texts by Haruki Murakami.[8] Richter released his fourth solo album 24 Postcards in Full Colour, a collection of 24 classically-composed miniatures for ringtones, in 2008.[9] The pieces are a series of variations on the basic material, scored for strings, piano and electronics. Richter's latest album, Infra, is an extension of his 25-minute score for a ballet choreographed by Wayne McGregor which was staged at the Royal Opera House.[10] Infra is composed of music written for piano, electronics and string quintet, the full performance score, as well as material that subsequently developed from the construction of the album.[11]
Film Scores
Richter has composed numerous film soundtracks. He executed the score to Ari Folman’s Golden Globe-winning film Waltz with Bashir in 2007,[12] supplanting the standard orchestral soundtrack with synth-based sounds. Richter wrote the music for Feo Aladag's film Die Fremde (with additional music by Stéphane Moucha).[13] In 2010, Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth" was remixed with Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" for the Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island.[14] In July 2010, "On The Nature Of Daylight" and "Vladimir's Blues" featured throughout the BBC Two two-part drama Dive, which was co-written by Bafta award winning Dominic Savage and Simon Stevens. Richter also wrote the soundtrack to Peter Richardson’s documentary, How to die in Oregon,[15]and the score to Les Impardonnables (2011) directed by André Téchiné.[16] Films featuring Max's music which go on release in 2011 include French drama Elle s’appelait Sarah by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, and David MacKenzie's romantic thriller Perfect Sense. Richter is currently composing the score to Ari Folman’s new film The Congress which is set for release in 2012-13. Max Richter also composed music for the independent feature film, Henry May Long, starring Randy Sharp and Brian Barnhart, back in 2008.
Collaborations
Richter wrote the score to Infra as part of a Royal Ballet-commissioned collaboration with dancer Wayne McGregor and artist Julian Opie. The production was staged at the Royal Opera House in London in 2008. In 2010, Richter's soundscape The Anthropocine formed part of Darren Almond’s film installation at the White Cube gallery in London.
Solo discography
- Memoryhouse (BBC, 2002)
- The Blue Notebooks (Fat Cat Records, 2004)
- Songs from Before (Fat Cat Records, 2006)
- 24 Postcards in Full Colour (Fat Cat Records, 2008)
- Infra (Fat Cat Records, 2010)
Film scores
- Soundproof (2006) Director: Edmund Coulthard
- Henry May Long (2007) Director: Randy Sharp
- Hope (2007) Director: Stanislav Mucha
- Waltz with Bashir (2008) Director: Ari Folman. Won 'Best Composer' at the 21st annual European Film Awards.
- Darwin – Notes From A Genius (2008) Producer: Jeremy Bristow
- Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me Director: John Alexander
- Die Wilde Farm (2009) Director: Dominique Garing & Frédéric Goupil
- Lila, Lila (2009) Director: Alain Gsponer
- Penelopa (2009) Director: Brian Ferris
- How to Die in Oregon (2010) Director: Peter D. Richardson
- Sarah’s Key (2010) Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner
- My Trip to Al-Qaeda (2010) Director: Alex Gibney
- Die Fremde (2010) Director: Feo Aladağ
- The Womb (2010) Director: Benedek Fliegauf
- Impardonnables (2011) Director: André Téchiné
- Perfect Sense (2011) Director: David MacKenzie
Awards and Nominations
- European Film Award - Best Composer - Walz with Bashir (2008)
- Cinema Eye Honors - Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition - Walz with Bashir (2008)
- Annie Award - Music in an Animated Feature Production - Nominee, Walz with Bashir (2008)
- International Film Music Critics Association Awards - Breakout Composer of the Year - Nominee, Walz with Bashir (2008)
- Preis der deutschen Filmkritik - Beste Musik - "Die Fremde" (2010)
- Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentaries- "How to die in Oregon" (2010)
References
- ^ "Max Richter". FatCat Records. http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/artist.php/max+richter. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Mark Pappenheim (24 November 1993). "MUSIC / Many hands make light work". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music--many-hands-make-light-work-piano-circus-had-a-problem-six-keyboards-but-only-one-piece-to-play-what-could-they-do-without-steve-reich-1506360.html. Retrieved 10-19-2011.
- ^ Adam Park (11 October 2006). "The Richter Scale". Boomkat. http://www.boomkat.com/article.cfm?id=10. Retrieved 10-19-2011.
- ^ "Biography Kelli Ali". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/artist/e91466e9-e518-4b02-9198-a6c338694c9d. Retrieved 10-21-2011.
- ^ "Max Richter Memoryhouse". http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=299. Retrieved 10-21-2011.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0941057/
- ^ Paul Tingen (January 2005). "Max Richter Recording The Blue Notebooks". Sound On Sound. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/ritcher.htm. Retrieved 10-21-2011.
- ^ "SONGS FROM BEFORE • Max Richter". Puremusic. http://www.puremusic.com/71max.html. Retrieved 10-21-2011.
- ^ Michael Crumsho (22 October 2008). "Max Richter - "Berlin By Overnight" (24 Postcards In Full Colour)". Dusted Magazine. http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4621. Retrieved 10-21-2011.
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/royal-ballet-royal-opera-house-londonbrrambert-dance-company-sadlers-wells-london-1020245.html
- ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15534/reviews/4140557
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2009/02/richters-scale-scoring-waltz-with-bashir.html
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/Max-Richter-Stéphane-Moucha-Die-Fremde-Original-Soundtrack/release/2412419
- ^ http://newcityfilm.com/2010/02/17/a-life-in-the-mind-with-shutter-island-scorsese-goes-for-baroque-review/
- ^ http://criterioncast.com/2011/03/26/joshua-reviews-peter-richardsons-how-to-die-in-oregon-sxsw-2011-review/
- ^ http://www.arte.tv/de/3911890,CmC=3913052.html
External links
- Official Website
- Max Richter on Myspace
- FatCat Records Artist page
- Max Richter Facebook
- Max Richter Twitter
- Review of 'Infra' in Tokafi Magazine
- Review of 'Infra' in Nowness magazine
Interviews
- Two and a Half Questions with Max Richter on Headphone Commute (Oct, 2008)
Categories:- 21st-century classical composers
- European Film Awards winners (people)
- Postminimalist composers
- Experimental composers
- British film score composers
- German film score composers
- British pianists
- German pianists
- British people of German descent
- 1966 births
- Living people
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