The title piece, Exiles, features a repeated melodic motif that represents the idea of exile, walking, and movement, both technically and metaphorically.
Composition History
The main piece, Exiles, was commissioned by Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, choreographers for the Nederlands Dans Theater, around 2014 or 2015.
Compositional Technique
Flowers of Herself, originally an introduction to a ballet, reflects the bustling imagery of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway by having a different time signature in literally every bar.
Composition History
Several other pieces on the album, including The Haunted Ocean, On the Nature of Daylight, and Infra 5, are fully orchestrated versions of works previously linked to socio-political events.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Max Richter's music often addresses socio-political themes, such as the Kosovo conflict, the Iraq War, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Recording & Production
The album was recorded in Tallinn, Estonia, in late 2019 with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, an orchestra chosen for its social project connecting people around the Baltic Sea.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Richter believes music has an intrinsic voice in culture and should contribute to conversations about how we should live, reflecting the times like Nina Simone suggested.
You might also enjoy...
BBC Symphony Orchestra in Moscow: Pierre Boulez, John Ogdon. January 10, 1967 (Live)
