Max Richter - composer for film and television

Max Richter was born in Germany and studied music at Edinburgh University and elsewhere. Upon graduation, Richter was a member of the original "Piano Circus" which is a group of 6 pianists originally formed to play Steve Reich's work called "Six Pianos". The group takes its name for the circular arrangement of its pianos and has developed a significant international audience since its formation in 1989 releasing several albums. Richter stayed and toured with the group for its first decade during which time it commissioned and/or played works by an extensive list of avant garde composers including Terry Riley, Arvo Part, Michael Nyman, Brian Eno and Philip Glass. As a solo composer Richter has now produced 4 albums called "Memory House", "The Blue Notebooks", "Songs from Before" and "24 Postcards In Full Colour". A number of tracks from these ablums have been picked up and used on the soundtracks for various films, including "Cocaine Angel", "Stranger than Fiction" and "Elegy". In addition to this Richter has also been asked to create original music for films and television, but the animated film Waltz with Bashir written and directed by Ari Folman, has recently garnered excellent reviews and propelled both Folman and Richter as score composer into the limelight.

Richter was commissioned to create a work for The Royal Ballet with choreographer Wayne Macgregor, and that has resulted in the ballet "Infra" which has now been premiered with more performances to follow.

Film music by Max Richter:

• Gender Trouble - short film
• Cocaine Angel - a number of Richter's tracks were used on this film about addiction
• Work - short film
• Stranger than Fiction - this film starring Will Ferrell included Richter's "On The Nature Of Daylight" and "Horizon Variations" on the soundtrack
• Nadzieja ("Hope") - a full composer credit for this German/Polish produced film by Stanislaw Mucha
• Henry May Long
• Waltz with Bashir (Valse avec Bachir) - for Ari Folman

Television Music by Max Richter:

• Night Stalker - TV series
• Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution' - documentary series
• Soundproof - TV movie
• Parashat Ha-Shavua - Richter's music was used on some episodes of this Israeli TV series (which had Ari Folman as the lead writer)
• Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me - TV series

Recommendations:

See our review of the soundtrack to Waltz with Bashir, and the following albums as good examples of Richter's music:

• Waltz with Bashir - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Memoryhouse - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Songs from Before - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• The Blue Notebooks - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• 24 postcards in full colour - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
• Piano Circus: Steve Reich "Six Pianos" and Terry Riley "In C" - Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

The composer's official website is at www.maxrichter.com.