One of the most influential composers of our time, Max Richter is well-known for blending traditional orchestrations with modern electronic elements. He has scored Dior shows for Kim Jones, composed for several ballets and worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese. Alongside his partner, visual artist Yulia Mahr, he is the co-founder of Studio Richter Mahr, an Oxfordshire-based space where creatives can develop their work.
Now celebrating the 10th anniversary of Sleep (the first classical record to reach one billion streams), he is releasing a new album, Sleep Circle – a hallucinatory trip into the hypnagogic state, the transitional time between sleep and wakefulness. For more details, visit maxrichtermusic.com or @maxrichtermusic.
The first record I bought was Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. I heard it on TV when I was about 12. I had no idea what instruments could be making these mysterious sounds. It was the start of a lifetime fascination with the potential of electronic music.
What's everyone reading?
My favourite piece of music? Impossible to answer. One piece I come back to time and again though is Stravinsky’s Symphony Of Psalms. It never disappoints.
I’m currently listening to Konsudd’s Mantis 15. I lived in Berlin for a long time and gained a fondness for minimal techno, the heartbeat of the city. They were blasting it in Phonica, a record store in Soho the other day, just as I was passing. It’s a must-buy if you like mysterious clicks and rumblings.
At the moment, I’m reading Ulysses by James Joyce. I never tire of this. There is so much to love and ponder in it – all of these ordinary human things portrayed and elevated in Joyce’s magical, musical language. I try to reread at least a bit of it every year. I’m touring at the moment, and it is a hefty thing to lug about but worth it.
A miracle of film-making for me is The Tree Of Life by Terrence Malick. It doesn’t even feel like a film by the end; it transports you into another dimension.
I’m currently watching The Studio on Apple TV+. Amazing.
I spend far too much time staring out of windows for no apparent reason.
A meaningful quote for me? According to Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rodin once said: ‘What is made with time, time respects.’ That’s pretty good, isn’t it?
I love quiet paintings. Ben Nicholson is a favourite, but I couldn’t choose one in particular. Can I have them all?
My favourite galleries are the Frick in New York and Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. When I was studying in Florence, I used to pop to the Uffizi every morning to look at pictures and drink an espresso while opening my mail, so I’m fond of that, too.
One of the most fun places to stay is the Villa Serbelloni on Lake Como. It has a kind of Wes Anderson time-warp quality.
The best exhibition I’ve seen is the Mark Rothko retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris in 2023. To see his life’s work in one setting was mind-blowing.
My favourite place in the world is the Isle of Mull. I also love the Sydney Opera House – now it has been restored in line with [architect Jorn] Utzon’s original plans, it is more spectacular than ever.
If I could bring back one trend from the past, it would be tolerance.
