Richter

- Why don’t you write about how much you hate Max Richter?

This started as a half-joke as I’ve apparently been dismissive of Max Richter in the past, which seems plausible given that I also have a fame for being judgemental when it comes to music. So here I am, sitting in the garden, listening to some of his tracks, trying to piece together what exactly doesn’t sit right with me about him. The problem is – I don’t exactly hate Max Richter. Early “Memoryhouse” hit the right spot at the right time for my younger self, and Waltz with Bashir delivered some of its heavy punches to his tracks. But then there’s the terrible “Vivaldi By Max Richter” (as if he’s a brand desperately trying to feign seriousness) that hollows Four Seasons out of both period features and substance, dull grey paint over stucco decoration. Derivative “Songs From Before” – piano minimalism clichés, Arvo Part’s tintinnabulli without the spirituality, endless self-repetition. SLEEP stunt “regarded as one of the most culturally significant classical music projects” according to his own Spotify write-up – hour-long tracks conveniently split into 2-minute chunks for maximising streams and playlisting potential. Endless reissues of Blue Notebooks and even more forgettable films scores. Where does the music stop, and the Spotify Calm Piano for Focus playlist begin?

What makes for good music is a very subjective question – even more so, what makes a piece of music worthwhile. Listener response is complex. If a mix of emotions, memories, people next to you - and maybe even chemicals? - makes you experience catharsis to some soundtrack of that moment, does it make the music itself better? There is a reason people mostly remember and react to songs they first heard in their late teens. However, I would always see the intent behind the music as the crucial part of the puzzle – is the music there because its creator could not bear not pouring it out, do they want to make you feel something, anything.

What’s the emotion they want you to connect with, however imprecisely it can be relayed through the medium of music.

Modern minimalist music throws this into sharp relief. You can’t hide behind the virtuosic performing difficulty or the bombast of the orchestra. Is there anything that runs underneath the simple arpeggios and empty intervals? Or is it just going through the motions, masking boredom behind the all-too-serious face expression?

Sadly, with Max more often than not I feel the latter.

Listen to a Max Richter playlist assembled by Andrey.