I did a post a couple of weeks ago with a few songs with words that work for me while writing, but most of the time (if I have music at all) it’s either classical or soundtrack — and nowhere do those genres meet as majestically as in the work of Max Richter.
You may think you’ve never heard him, but you likely have: the heart-rending On The Nature of Daylight — second track on the beautiful 2004 album The Blue Notebooks — has become the film-scorer’s default pick for a certain kind of keeningly melancholic atmosphere, and his music has appeared in everything from Arrival to Black Mirror.
I first discovered him via the hugely under-rated show The Leftovers. At least, I thought that had been the first, until I realized On The Nature of Daylight was used in the movie Shutter Island. And The Face of An Angel. And even the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. You see what I mean.
A few other examples are below, including a piece from the monumental work Sleep — an eight-hour album, designed to last the length of a night’s rest, and now available as an app for either promoting sleep or forming a background to meditation.
And finally there’s the whole of a live concert of his re-imagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Yeah I know that sounds like a terrible idea. But it’s Max Richter, so it’s not.
Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight
Max Richter - Dream 13 (from Sleep)
Max Richter - The Departure (Extended)
Max Richter In Concert: Reimagining Vivaldi
I am listening to On the Nature of Daylight for the gazillionth time right now, and decided to look up "Max Richter Substack." I am so happy to come across your post. As I'm sure you know, he was inspired to write it by the second U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. I find it the thing my heart most aches to listen to right now. Without words he captures so much about grief. Thank you for posting.
Oh yes and it has such an incredible effect on how we perceive the imagery.