MAX RICHTER

In A Landscape (Decca)

The rise in division and displacement, and a reiteration of the principle of human rights, were themes addressed on Max Richter’s previous albums, Voices and Exiles, earlier this decade. Things haven’t much improved since then, and Richter’s ninth album In A Landscape is, on one hand, a moving plea for unity which sees the neo-classical composer revisit the creative methodology of The Blue Notebooks, his 2004 album made in part as a retort to the Iraq War.

On the other hand, Richter’s In A Landscape encourages us to take a step back from the precipice of conflict, to connect and care more for the natural beauty that surrounds us. The results successfully combine the fragile and subtle contemporary electronic side of his debut Memoryhouse with the classical piano and strings elements of The Blue Notebooks, which followed it. Love Song and Late And Soon both capture sorrow whilst radiating tranquillity, and Movement, All Before Flowers strives for hope and connection.

words DAVID NOBAKHT