Album insights
Max Richter, the British composer renowned for his reinterpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, has crafted the longest single-piece classical music composition to date. On September 4th, Deutsche Grammophon will release an eight-hour version as a digital album, alongside a one-hour edition called "SLEEP" on CD, vinyl, download, and streaming platforms. Seeking to explore how music can inhabit the mind while conscious thought rests, Richter's experiment draws inspiration from the likes of John Cage, Terry Riley, and LaMonte Young. Reflecting centuries of a lullaby tradition, akin to Bach's Goldberg Variations composed for an insomniac nobleman, "SLEEP" also delves into the realm of brain science with insights from eminent neuroscientist David Eagleman during Richter's creative process.