SLEEP
Carlow Arts Festival
MAX RICHTER ENSEMBLE / GRACE DAVIDSON
EXCLUSIVE IRISH PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE OF THE FULL LENGTH MAX RICHTER’S SLEEP.
Composer Max Richter takes the listener on an unprecedented journey of eight hours — something to be listened to from your bed!
Richter’s eight hour epic Sleep explores new ways for music and consciousness to interact, and he describes it as “a personal lullaby for a frenetic world…a manifesto for a slower pace of existence.”
Sold out performances at such venues as the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris, Grand Park in Los Angeles, New York City’s Spring Studios, London’s Old Billingsgate presented by the Barbican and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw are a testament to the work’s international acclaim.
Attendees can reserve one of a limited number of pre-pitched tents on the grounds of at Carlow College St Patrick’s to experience this massive work under the stars on Friday 7 June 2019
Max Richter’s work embodies both the rigour of the Classical tradition and the experimentalism of contemporary electronica. Heart-stopping orchestral writing and mind-bending synthesis co-exist in his work; as he says, ‘Music exists beyond boundaries’. Richter writes beautifully crafted, intelligent work that is disarming in its honesty; his music, despite its underlying sophistication, remain accessible.
Almost uniquely among contemporary Classical composers, Richter’s music is radically unafraid of appealing directly to our emotions. In addition to numerous Classical No.1 records and streaming numbers measured in the hundreds of millions, Richter’s 2012’s Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons topped classical charts in 22 countries. He has consistently moved between solo works starting with his 2002 album Memoryhouse, described by BBC Music as “a masterpiece in neoclassical composition.” and collaborations with other artists. His work with musician and filmmaker Woodkid (The Golden Age) brought the duo a Grammy nomination, and the recent production of the Olivier award-winning Woolf Works, with long term collaborator Wayne McGregor at The Royal Ballet, resulted in the album Three Worlds once again topping classical charts worldwide
Although long a staple of the avant-garde, by virtue of his influential solo albums, Richter’s name has recently seeped into public consciousness through his many collaborations with filmmakers. Golden Globe and European Film Academy Award-winner Waltz with Bashir, HBO’s cult drama The Leftovers, Jessica Chastain’s Miss Sloane, Hostiles starring Christian Bale, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, and Tom Hardy’s Taboo, which gained Richter his first Emmy nomination, have all benefited from his art. In addition to his scoring work, numerous directors, including Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) and, most recently, Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), have dipped into Richter’s catalogue when they need something special. Richter has recently completed scores White Boy Rick starring Matthew McConaughey, Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt, as well as the HBO series My Brilliant Friend
