{"product_id":"max-richter-the-blue-notebooks-15th-anniversary-edition","title":"Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks (15th Anniversary Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003eConceptually, Max Richter's \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e — German-born composer mixes contemporary classical compositions with electronic elements in a dreamscapy journalogue featuring excerpts from Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks as narrated by Tilda Swinton-- reads like a relentlessly precious endeavor, as new age music for grad students, the sort of record that sagely pats you on the back for being smart enough to seek it out. And yet in practice, despite the fact that it is exactly as outlined above, Kafka quotes and all, there is absolutely nothing exclusive or contrived-feeling about it. In fact, not only is Richter's second album one of the finest of the last six months, it is also one of the most affecting and universal contemporary classical records in recent memory. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut how to describe music that relies so completely on seeming familiar? Richter may fancy himself in a class with Philip Glass, Brian Eno and Steve Reich (indeed, his hyperattenuated sense of minimalism owes to all three), but unlike his influences, he's not remotely interested in subverting the traditional rules of composition. Short of one very beautiful moment that plunges an electronic sublow bassline into a deep sea of harpsichords and violas (see: the literally perfect \"Shadow Journal\"), there is nothing here to suggest that Richter is concerned with anything other than melody and economy. It's a formula he singlemindedly exploits with staggering effectiveness for the balance of the album's 40+ minutes. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut make no mistake, this is not Richter's electronic\/classical crossover, nor it is really his concept record. In fact, with songs that similarly forgo the temptations of complexity and choice so as to preserve their core ideas, it's perhaps better thought of as his four-track demo, his lo-fi recording jaunt. It's Max Richter testing himself to see what he can produce under restraint. Turns out it's more than he might have otherwise. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/reviews\/albums\/6917-the-blue-notebooks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough his evocative debut album Memoryhouse introduced Max Richter's fusion of classical music, electronica and found-sounds (a style he calls \"post-Classical\"), it's his follow-up, \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e, that really showcases the style's — and Richter's — potential. The album's ten pieces were inspired by Kafka's Blue Octavo Notebooks, and quotes such as \"Everyone carries a room about inside them. This fact can even be proved by means of the sense of hearing. If someone walks fast and one pricks up one's ears and listens, say at night, when everything round about is quiet, one hears, for instance, the rattling of a mirror not quite firmly fastened to the wall,\" which are read by actress Tilda Swinton, define the spare, reflective intimacy of \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichter's music embraces all of the sounds that had an impact on him, but more important is the emotional impact that \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e has on its listeners; despite its high-concept origins, it's quite an affecting album. The warm-hearted piano melody on \"Horizon Variations\" and the delicate, somehow reassuring-sounding string piece \"On the Nature of Daylight\" both sound vaguely familiar, and are all the more haunting for it. Most striking of all is \"Shadow Journal,\" which begins with hypnotic, bubbling electronics, Swinton's crisp voice and a piercingly lovely violin melody and then brings in harp and an electronic bassline so low that it's almost felt more than it is heard. The piece sounds so much like thinking, like turning inward, that the cawing birds at the end of the track bring a jarring end to its reverie. The field recordings that run through \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e heighten the sense of intimacy, and occasionally, eavesdropping. On \"Organum,\" the distant piano and outdoor sounds feel like listening to somebody else listen to the music; meanwhile, the ticking clocks, clacking typewriter and street traffic on the title track help conjure up that room that everyone carries about inside them. \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Notebooks\u003c\/em\u003e is a stunning album, and one that should be heard not just by classical and electronica fans, but anyone who values thoughtful, subtly expressive music. — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/album\/the-blue-notebooks-mw0000808503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAllMusic\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— 2LP, reissued on 180g black vinyl\u003cbr\u003e— Housed in gatefold sleeve\u003cbr\u003e— Includes previously unreleased bonus tracks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/1rTHmwhZwhhvivx3pdXXdo?utm_source=generator\u0026amp;theme=0\u0026amp;si=cc6a7e3319ea42ce\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVinyl Tracklist\u003cbr\u003eA1 The Blue Notebooks\u003cbr\u003eA2 On The Nature Of Daylight\u003cbr\u003eA3 Horizon Variations\u003cbr\u003eA4  Shadow Journal\u003cbr\u003eA5 Iconography\u003cbr\u003eB1 Vladimir's Blues\u003cbr\u003eB2 Arboretum\u003cbr\u003eB3 Old Song\u003cbr\u003eB4 Organum\u003cbr\u003eB5 The Trees\u003cbr\u003eB6 Written On The Sky\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBonus Tracks \u0026amp; Remixes    \u003cbr\u003eC1 A Catalogue Of Afternoons\u003cbr\u003eC2 On The Nature Of Daylight (Orchestral)\u003cbr\u003eC3 Vladimir's Blues 2018\u003cbr\u003eC4 On The Nature Of Daylight (Entropy)\u003cbr\u003eD1 Vladimir's Blues (Jlin Remix)\u003cbr\u003eD2 Iconography (Knox-Om-Pax Remix)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: Deutsche Grammophon\u003cbr\u003eFormat: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Special Edition, Stereo, 15 Years Anniversary Edition, 180g\u003cbr\u003eReissued: 2018 \/ Originally Released: 2004\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Electronic, Non-Music\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Modern Classical, Spoken Word, Ambient\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: Modern Classical\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Deutsche Grammophon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48208444293278,"sku":"028948352593","price":60.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/files\/1-max-richter-the-blue-notebooks-15-years.jpg?v=1787912472","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.com\/products\/max-richter-the-blue-notebooks-15th-anniversary-edition","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}