Max Richter

Okay, so Sleep comes from, I guess, about 2013, 2014, when 4G internet moved into our pockets. So that meant we then had social media 24-7 in our pockets. And Yulia, my partner, and I were talking about this and the sort of societal effects of it. And of course, loads of fun, very interesting, but also significant psychological load and pressure.

Okay, so Sleep comes from, I guess, about 2013, 2014, when 4G internet moved into our pockets. So that meant we then had social media 24-7 in our pockets. And Yulia, my partner, and I were talking about this and the sort of societal effects of it. And of course, loads of fun, very interesting, but also significant psychological load and pressure.

So I was thinking about the way that large-scale artworks a long movie, a big painting, say a big Rothko or something, a big novel, Anna Karenina or something, you can use it as a way to kind of

So I was thinking about the way that large-scale artworks a long movie, a big painting, say a big Rothko or something, a big novel, Anna Karenina or something, you can use it as a way to kind of

kind of blanket out reality and just concentrate on that and extended duration music can have that effect right um so i thought okay so i'm going to make a piece which can be like a big pause button you'll put on and you can just like zone out for eight hours um And so that's what sleep is. It's at one level a kind of a lullaby, at one level a kind of a protest song.

kind of blanket out reality and just concentrate on that and extended duration music can have that effect right um so i thought okay so i'm going to make a piece which can be like a big pause button you'll put on and you can just like zone out for eight hours um And so that's what sleep is. It's at one level a kind of a lullaby, at one level a kind of a protest song.

You know, the idea of constant productivity. Yeah. So it's a kind of like, let's just stop for a second. Hmm. Yeah, so that was Sleep. It's a music for piano, organ, synthesizers, string, quintet, and soprano.

You know, the idea of constant productivity. Yeah. So it's a kind of like, let's just stop for a second. Hmm. Yeah, so that was Sleep. It's a music for piano, organ, synthesizers, string, quintet, and soprano.

Yes, exactly. So the piece isn't really to be, well, you can experience it any way you like, but I intended it really to just be inhabited, to be slept through. More like, again, like a landscape rather than a concert. And actually for us, you know, when we started to play the piece live, it was a bit of a learning curve because we realized that we weren't really playing a concert.

Yes, exactly. So the piece isn't really to be, well, you can experience it any way you like, but I intended it really to just be inhabited, to be slept through. More like, again, like a landscape rather than a concert. And actually for us, you know, when we started to play the piece live, it was a bit of a learning curve because we realized that we weren't really playing a concert.

You know, it looked a bit like a concert, even though, of course, we had, you know, 500 people in beds in front of us. But there was still us and an audience. And we thought, okay, so we, you know, we went into kind of our default setting as musicians and we tried to project this piece into the space. And actually, you know, very quickly we realized this was not what we should be doing.

You know, it looked a bit like a concert, even though, of course, we had, you know, 500 people in beds in front of us. But there was still us and an audience. And we thought, okay, so we, you know, we went into kind of our default setting as musicians and we tried to project this piece into the space. And actually, you know, very quickly we realized this was not what we should be doing.

What we were doing is we were accompanying something that is happening in the room. Right. which is, you know, a community of strangers, hundreds of people who don't know one another, who've come together and basically trusted one another to be sort of in this very vulnerable state and go on this journey through the night together. And really, we were just accompanying this thing that's happening.

What we were doing is we were accompanying something that is happening in the room. Right. which is, you know, a community of strangers, hundreds of people who don't know one another, who've come together and basically trusted one another to be sort of in this very vulnerable state and go on this journey through the night together. And really, we were just accompanying this thing that's happening.

So it's a very different dynamic.

So it's a very different dynamic.

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And also... Yeah, to try and sort of, I guess, question the sort of hierarchical aspect of, you know, music as this, you know, again, going back to the Romantics or the modernists, you know, this idea of

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And also... Yeah, to try and sort of, I guess, question the sort of hierarchical aspect of, you know, music as this, you know, again, going back to the Romantics or the modernists, you know, this idea of

greatness you know you know you have the sort of the great composer who writes the great piece and then we all have to listen and sort of shut up and behave and you know try to absorb the greatness you know is it you know it's just i want to try and get away from that idea

greatness you know you know you have the sort of the great composer who writes the great piece and then we all have to listen and sort of shut up and behave and you know try to absorb the greatness you know is it you know it's just i want to try and get away from that idea