In mid-2008, British composer Max Richter was commissioned by London's Royal Ballet to collaborate with the ballet's choreographer Wayne McGregor and visual artist Julian Opie for a performance under the name infra. After infra's premiere in November 2008, Max Richter was intrigued by Julian Opie's visuals that depicted the scenery of everyday life, and this resulted in the journey concept. Two years later, UK-based label FatCat Records have released both pieces compiled onto one disc.
Though separate concepts, infra and journey go hand-in-hand; in fact, the tracks seem almost interchangeable. Both pieces have a similar sound: beautifully-composed orchestrations with reoccurring radio interference that is either heard faintly in the background or at the forefront. What makes infra so mesmerizing is how Max Richter incorporates electronics into the compositions, and brings together modern and classical ideas in a way that makes each piece completely of its own.
infra is a refreshing piece that perfectly justifies the use of pushing new boundaries with old ideas. When melodies and orchestrations are repeated, they merely add a layer of familiarity to the album rather than a deja vu moment. Its incorporation of ambient influences gives classical music a strong sense of relevancy that listeners can enjoy without any prior experience to this kind of music. infra is an emotional, complex and outgoing release that certainly deserves a listen.
[Max Richter Myspace]
[Buy infra from FatCat Records]
No comments:
Post a Comment