Max Richter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Max Richter
Richter in 2024
Background information
Born	(1966-03-22) 22 March 1966 (age 59) Hamelin, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Origin	London, England
Genres	Contemporary classical ambient minimalism post-minimalism
Occupation(s)	Composer pianist producer
Instruments	Piano organ synthesizer
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Studio Richter-Mahr Deutsche Grammophon 130701 FatCat Universal Universal Classics and Jazz Late Junction Mute Delabel Milan CAM Colosseum JADE Fontana Silva Screen 7hings
Associated acts	Piano Circus, Black to Comm

Max Richter (born on March 22, 1966) is a famous German-born British composer and pianist. He creates music that mixes modern classical styles with a simple, repeating sound called minimalism. Max Richter studied music at top schools like the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also learned from the well-known composer Luciano Berio in Italy.

Richter writes, plays, and arranges music for many different things. This includes music for plays, operas, ballets, and movies. He has worked with other musicians and artists. He has released eight solo albums. His music is very popular in films. By December 2019, his music had been streamed over one billion times. He also sold over one million albums.

Early Life and Musical Start

Max Richter was born in Hamelin, West Germany. He grew up in Bedford, England. He went to Bedford Modern School and Mander College of Further Education. He studied how to compose music and play the piano. This was at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Academy of Music. He also studied with Luciano Berio in Italy.

After his studies, Richter helped start a music group called Piano Circus. This group played modern classical music. He was with them for ten years. They played music by minimalist composers like Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass. The group released five albums.

In 1996, Richter worked with the band Future Sound of London. He played piano on their album Dead Cities. He helped write some songs and worked with them for two years. In 2000, he worked with Roni Size on his album In the Møde. He also helped produce albums for Vashti Bunyan and Kelli Ali.

Max Richter's Solo Albums

Max Richter has released many solo albums. Each one explores different ideas and sounds.

Memoryhouse (2002)

Memoryhouse was Max Richter's first solo album. It was released in 2002. One reviewer called it a "landmark work of contemporary classical music." This album is experimental. It uses sounds from real life and imaginary stories. Some songs, like "Sarajevo," are about the Kosovo War. Others are about childhood memories. The music mixes sounds from the environment, voices, and poetry. BBC Music said it was a "masterpiece."

The album was played live in London in 2014. This was when a new vinyl version was released. Pitchfork magazine praised the album. They said it helped other composers find new ways to mix electronic sounds with orchestras.

The Blue Notebooks (2004)

The Blue Notebooks came out in 2004. The Guardian newspaper called it one of the best classical works of the century. The album features actress Tilda Swinton reading from books. Max Richter said this album was a protest against the Iraq War. It also explored his own childhood. Pitchfork called it one of the best modern classical records.

The song "On the Nature of Daylight" is very famous. It has been used in many movies. These include the sci-fi film Arrival and Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. It was also used in the TV series The Last of Us. In 2018, the album was re-released for its 15th anniversary. Fact magazine called it "one of the most iconic pieces of classical and protest music of the 21st century."

Songs from Before (2006)

In 2006, Richter released Songs from Before. This album features Robert Wyatt reading texts. These texts were written by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

24 Postcards in Full Colour (2008)

Richter's fourth solo album, 24 Postcards in Full Colour, came out in 2008. It is a collection of 24 short classical pieces. They were made to be ringtones. The pieces are like small musical variations. They use strings, piano, and electronic sounds.

Richter explained that he saw ringtones as a chance for composers. He wanted to create small musical "postcards" that could travel around the world.

Infra (2010)

Max Richter's 2010 album Infra is about the 2005 terrorist bombings in London. It started as a 25-minute piece for a ballet. The ballet was choreographed by Wayne McGregor at the Royal Opera House. Infra uses piano, electronics, and string instruments. Pitchfork called the album "achingly gorgeous."

Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (2012)

In 2012, Richter released his 'recomposed' version of Vivaldi's famous work, The Four Seasons. He took Vivaldi's original music and changed it. He kept about 25% of it. He used repeating musical ideas, which is common in minimalist music. This made the old music sound new and modern. The album became very popular. It topped the classical music charts in the UK, Germany, and the US.

Sleep and From Sleep (2015)

In 2015, Richter released his biggest project, Sleep. He worked on this with visual artist Yulia Mahr. It is an 8.5-hour long piece of music. It is designed to be listened to while you sleep. The album has 31 songs. They are all based on a few main musical ideas. The music is very calm and slow. It uses piano, cello, violins, organ, and electronic sounds.

Richter also released a shorter version called From Sleep. This one-hour album has shorter versions of the main themes. Richter calls Sleep an "eight-hour-long lullaby." He also sees it as a "protest music." He says it's a protest against our busy, fast-paced modern lives.

Sleep has been performed live from midnight to 8 A.M. in many places. These include the Sydney Opera House and Grand Park in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, 560 beds were set up for the audience.

Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works (2017)

Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works was released in 2017. This music comes from a ballet score. The ballet was choreographed by Wayne McGregor. It was inspired by three books by author Virginia Woolf. The album combines classical and electronic sounds. It even includes a voice recording of Virginia Woolf herself.

Voices (2020)

Richter's Voices project (2020) was also a collaboration with Yulia Mahr. It was inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The album features an 'upside down' orchestra. This means the instruments are used in unusual ways. It includes readings of the declaration by Eleanor Roosevelt and actress KiKi Layne. Many other people from around the world also contributed their voices.

The videos for the album, made by Yulia Mahr, are about her own experiences with moving to new places. One video, 'Mercy', won an award.

Exiles (2021)

The album Exiles was released in 2021. It was recorded with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic orchestra. Exiles includes longer versions of some of Richter's earlier works. These include "On The Nature Of Daylight." Richter said the album is a serious work. It has a strong emotional feeling because of its topic.

Music for Movies and TV Shows

Max Richter has written music for many films and TV shows. He became well-known for his music in the film Waltz with Bashir in 2007. This music won him an award.

His song "On the Nature of Daylight" is very popular in films. It was used in Shutter Island and Arrival. It also appeared in TV shows like Luck and The Last of Us.

Richter also wrote the music for the HBO series The Leftovers. This show started in 2014. Some of his older songs were also used in this series. In 2016, he composed music for an episode of Black Mirror called "Nosedive". He also wrote all the music for the BBC One drama Taboo in 2017.

In 2018, Richter created music for films like Hostiles and Mary Queen of Scots. He also composed for the HBO mini-series My Brilliant Friend. In 2019, he scored the film Ad Astra. His music has been used in many other popular shows and movies.

Ballet, Opera, and Stage Works

Max Richter wrote the music for the ballet Infra in 2008. This was a collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor. In 2011, Richter wrote a short opera. It was based on a book about the afterlife. This opera also premiered at the Royal Opera House. Richter and McGregor worked together again on a ballet called 'Kairos' in 2014. In 2015, they created another full-length ballet, Woolf Works, inspired by Virginia Woolf's novels.

Other choreographers have also used Richter's music for their ballets. For example, Crystal Pite created a ballet to his Vivaldi Recomposed in Paris.

In 2012, Richter contributed music to a play called Macbeth. This play starred Alan Cumming and was shown on Broadway.

Other Collaborations

In 2010, Max Richter created a soundscape for an art installation. He has also worked with a digital art group called Random International. He composed music for their installations Future Self and Rain Room. Rain Room was shown at the Barbican Centre in London and MOMA in New York.

Max Richter's Family Life

Max Richter met visual artist Yulia Mahr in 1988. They started living together in London in 1993. They have three children, born in 1998, 1999, and 2008. They got married in 2003. The family lives in Oxfordshire with their two black Labrador dogs, Haku and Evie, and a cat named Kiki.

Max Richter's Albums

Studio albums

Scores for Films and TV

Awards and Nominations

Max Richter has won many awards for his music.

Images for kids

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  Richter in 2024

See also

• List of postminimalist composers
• Music and sleep