Max Richter: Exiles

by Kristjan Jaervi, Max Richter, Baltic Sea Philharmonic

Overview

The pop-minimalist music of Max Richter has been gaining followers beyond his native Germany and his residence of Britain thanks to some highly successful soundtracks and energetic promotion by the Deutsche Grammophon label, which recorded Exiles in 2019 and released it in 2021. Here, he is interpreted by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and its conductor, Kristjan Jaervi. Richter selected the group himself, and it was a good choice. The Baltic musicians have plenty of experience with the glassy, precise textures of minimalism, and they deliver accomplished readings. Exiles comprises 18 short sections with a simple pulse, slightly modifying -- in classic minimalist fashion -- a pattern laid out at the beginning. Richter explains it this way: "It's a very simple idea, but I wanted to put this notion of exile, of walking, of movement, into the heart of the music in a technical sense as well as metaphorical." One could do well to choose this album as an introduction to Richter's music, for this is close to its essence. He is less original musically than Philip Glass, whom he most resembles, but he has a strong sense for linking dramatic ideas with musical structure. There are "short edits" of Exiles and of one of the other pieces, Flowers of Herself, which was originally part of a longer piece called Woolf Works and is intended to represent imagery from the beginning of the novel Mrs. Dalloway. Whether one might guess that without being told is debatable, but Richter's textures are both distinctive and easy on the ears. His popularity is no accident, and Exiles offers an ideal gateway. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	08/06/2021
Label:	Deutsche Grammophon
UPC:	0028948604463
Rank:	128648

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kristjan Jaervi   Primary Artist,Conductor
Max Richter   Primary Artist
Baltic Sea Philharmonic   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Max Richter   Composer,Producer
Rupert Coulson   Mixing
Wyndham Wallace   Liner Notes
Goetz Michael Rieth   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Tom Bailey   Recording
Christian Badzura   A&R,Executive Producer
Florian Karg   Package Design
Lars Hoffmann   Creative Producer
Yulia Mahr   Cover Painting,Executive Producer
Rebecca Drake-Brockman   Studio Manager
Hans-Christian Lohs   Product Manager
Anush Alimirzaie   A&R
Nicole Albring   Creative Producer
Rafael Walchshofer   Coordination
Siiri Kumari   Photography