Max Richter rarely looks back.
The producer is always thirsting after fresh information, forever absorbing new ideas. That said, when the occasion arises he finds it beneficial to take backward glance.
2004's studio album 'The Blue Notebooks' was re-issued this summer, given a Super Deluxe treatment on Deutsche Grammophon.
As part of this, Somesuch and Globe Productions have teamed up to produce a short film based on the album's cut 'On The Nature Of Daylight'.
In the liner notes for the LP Richter describes the piece as “a meditation on violence and its repercussions, inspired both by the Iraq war – which was looming – and my own experiences.”
Continuing, he recalls how, as “a very sensitive child, I reacted to the violence around me by internalising everything. I closed all the shutters, built up walls, became as perfect as I could be.”
The clip picks up on these fears, with Elisabeth Moss – who calls herself Richter’s “biggest fan” – both starring in and producing the clip.
“When I was asked to do this project,” Moss reveals, “it was a dream come true. My work has been inspired by his music for so many years and not a day goes by on set where I don’t have Max’s music playing in my ears before a take. His music and my acting have gone hand in hand for a long time.”
“So for me the opportunity to act to one of his most prolific pieces was such an incredible honour. Working with George and this entire team was so artistically fulfilling and an experience I will never forget.”
Director George Belfield comments: “It was very important to me to try and be faithful to Max’s music, the worldview that it carries, and where he is coming from as an artist. It’s been the kind of project that has led to intimate, emotional and honest discussions about who we are and where we fit in to the world, and working with Max and Yulia has been both illuminating and rewarding.”
“We all wanted to make something that connects with people in a compassionate way, invites us to share the human experience, and remains true to the fundamental empathy of this piece of music.”
Clash is able to premiere the finished short film, an absorbing, beautifully pieced together visual document. A rich, emotionally gripping experience, you can tune in below.
…and watch the film in full below:
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