In the latest episode of Fast Company’s Creative Conversation podcast series composer Max Richter explained his method: “I’m looking for things that feel inevitable and sort of pre-existent, almost; I’m looking for that feeling of ‘Oh it could only be that way.’” We listened to Richter’s conversation with host KC Ifeanyi about his artistic convictions and how they guide his compositional processes — from start to finish and beyond. Below, check out some of the interview highlights we pulled for you to enjoy!
Intention
“Music is talking. If you’re talking in a language no one can understand, why are you talking?”
Fundamentally, Richter prioritizes clarity and communication in his works, endeavoring to “convey something in a direct way,” rather than produce an uber-complicated “lecture” of a piece. As his teacher, the famed Luciano Berio, taught him to do, Richter tries to keep his music thoroughly in touch with what he’s trying to say on a human “level.”
Message
“There’s this sort of neo-liberal consensus that views people as objects that just consume and produce, and for me that’s really reductive and is kind of squeezing out 98% of what a human really is. We’re bigger than that.”
Richter’s works are often deeply rooted in the political climate into which they were born. Even his “eight-hour lullaby” Sleep is something of a protest; it was intended to serve as “a big pause button,” reminding people to disconnect and step off the screen-filled commercial “hamster-wheel” it’s so hard to outrun.
Inspiration
“Material catches fire for some reason; you don’t know why. You pursue the things that inspire you.”
Despite his extensive experience, Richter explains that the start of every project still feels impossible, but as long as he’s “turning up and making things,” he finds that his work will take on a direction of its own. “Really what I’m waiting for is that thing which you’ll know as a writer: when your characters start doing stuff.” It is when the material takes on an intentionality of its own that Richter feels satisfied and certain of his work. “That’s my contract — it’s me and the material.”