Max Richter has announced a London residency to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his 2015 album ‘SLEEP’. Find all the details below.
The concept record – co-conceived with the German-British composer’s creative partner, Yulia Mahr – is an eight-and-a-half-hour musical enquiry into how sound and the sleeping mind interact.
Regarded as one of the most ambitious and culturally significant classical music projects of the 21st century, the collection explores the effects of subsonics and repetition to enhance slow-wave sleep (SWS).
This autumn, Richter will bring his “transcendental” all-night ‘SLEEP’ performances to London. He’ll take to the stage at Alexandra Palace on September 5 and 6 for his biggest ‘SLEEP’ shows yet.
This also marks the first time Richter has performed the album in the capital since 2017.
“Playing ‘SLEEP’ live is unforgettable,” he said in a statement. “The feeling of a community of strangers deeply connected through this music ritual is overwhelming, and like no other musical experience.”
Tickets go on general sale at 10am BST next Thursday (June 12) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. Alternatively, fans can sign up to access an exclusive pre-sale starting at the same time on Tuesday (10) – you can do so here.
Richter is due to release his brand-new album, ‘Sleep Circle’, on September 5 via Deutsche Grammophon (pre-order/pre-save here). The record is described as “a hallucinatory 90-minute trip into the hypnagogic state – the time period when the brain transitions between a state of wakefulness and sleep and the state during which the individual dreams”.
Check out the first single, ‘Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt. 2’, above.
The composer previously took his unique ‘SLEEP’ performance to iconic settings such as the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris and The Great Wall Of China. Last March, he shared a piano reworking of ‘SLEEP’ and held a special event at London’s BFI IMAX. The EP, titled ‘SLEEP: Piano Edition’, coincided with World Sleep Day.
Richter embarked on his first ever world tour in 2024 too, which included live dates at London’s Royal Festival Hall. This came in support of his latest full-length effort, 2024’s ‘In A Landscape’.
