Max Richter

The Barbican has commissioned Voices, a new work by composer Max Richter. Performed by the composer himself on keyboards alongside a narrator, members of award-winning choir Tenebrae, solo violinist Mari Samuelsen, solo soprano Grace Davidson, conductor Robert Ziegler and an orchestra featuring a radically reimagined instrumentation, comprising of eight violins, six violas, 24 cellos, twelve double basses, a bass drum and a harp. Voices is Richter’s response to the current changes to our global society and he came up with the concept of what he describes as ‘a negative orchestra. One that has been turned upside down. It is not dominated by the high frequencies made by upper strings and woodwind, as in a conventional orchestra but overwhelmingly features low frequencies, made by cellos and double basses amongst other instruments.’ The first half in each of the two Barbican concerts features a live performance of Max Richter’s Infra – written for piano, electronics and string quintet. Originally a score to Olivier Award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor’s Royal Opera House ballet of the same name (2008), Infra was later extended into a full album and released on FatCat Records in 2010 and reissued by Deutsche Grammophon in 2014. Infra was created as a response to London’s 2005 terrorist bombings. Max Richter said: “It’s a good contrast and since both pieces share a social theme, it makes sense to pair them.”