Max Richter - Memoryhouse

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Soundclips

5...according to our Brian on Thu 22 Oct, 2009.

OK. Trying to capture the beauty of Max Richter's work in words is always a toughie. After the majesty of his albums for 130701 - Fat Cat's bob-on classical inspired offshoot, his uber sought-after collaboration with the BBC Philharmonic - 'Memoryhouse' - has been lovingly repackaged & set free on a world bursting with desire for this man's graceful, melancholic & yearning chamber orchestral works. As is the case with many of his other pieces, they largely utilise hugely emotive, sweeping strings & somber piano with occasional field recording embellishment that is so perfectly, subtly poised that even the soft rain heard at the end of 'Europe, After The Rain' stirs nearly as much feeling up in me as the grand, searching strings themselves. I'm no classical academic or even that knowledgeable about such things as music theory but I know good music when I hear it. On occasion I think I'm being treated to Arvo Part collaborating with AFX on an Ambient Works project, this is just absolutely beautiful and like much of his other works, along with many by Chauveau & Tiersen too, I just want to cry with both sorrow & joy half the time at what i'm hearing. 'Sarajevo' will draw out the goosebumps for all those souls who've ever been epically moved by Gorecki's 'Symphony No. 3'! CD only (for t' moment??)

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Europe After The Rain * Maria The Poet (1913) *
Laika's Journey * The Twins (Prague) * Sarajevo * Andras *
Untitled (Figures) * Sketchbook * November *
Jan's Notebook * Arbenita (11 Years) *
Garden (1973) / Interior  * Landscape With Figure (1922) *
Fragment  * Lines An A Page (One Hundred Violins) *
Embers * Last Days + Quartet Fragment (1908)

• Performed by Max Richter with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, this is a long-
awaited re-release on FatCat Records’ instrumental / orchestral imprint 130701.

• ‘Memoryhouse’ was produced by Max Richter himself at BBC Manchester. A
series of linked pieces in different media (orchestra / solo / electronic), various
musical themes, motifs and variations appear and reappear throughout, often as
fleeting as a single melody that disappears almost as soon as it is heard, to create a
bright, sparkling, exhilarating, warming, gripping, heartbreaking, comforting and
rousing, that never loses its awe-inspiring sense of identity and imagination.

• A former member of contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus, commissioning
and performing works by Arvo Part, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich,
Max was also pivotal in developing that groups use of live sampling. Conversely,
Max’s orchestrations have also graced records by Future Sound Of London and
Roni Size.

• Max also arranged and co-produced Vashti Bunyan’s ‘Lookaftering’

• An active collaborator in other media, Max received The European Film Award last
year for his work on ‘Waltz With Bashir’, Ari Forman’s unique, award-winning
animated documentary. Forthcoming scores include Benedek Fliegauf’s near future
Dystopia ‘Womb’, as well as ‘From The Art Of Mirrors’, a film / music
performance with hitherto unseen Super-8mm films by Derek Jarman.

• ‘INFRA’, Max’s 2008 collaboration with Wayne Macgregor and Julian Opie for
The Royal Ballet, can next be seen at Covent Garden in Spring 2010. A 60 minute
BBC documentary about the project as well as a full performance will shortly be
available on DVD.

• Max will accompany the release of ‘Memoryhouse’ with a large-scale live show at
London’s beautiful Union Chapel, at which he will perform much of the album.

• “A beautiful and immense album to experience” – B+S Magazine.