The Blue Notebooks

Our local classical station has been playing a few selections from this album. I was intrigued and, ultimately, very pleased to own the entire album. It's a mellow, thoughtful interpretation by the composer done in a diary format; only a few words/narration on two pieces that add immensely to the mood (blue) of the music. I am pleased to own and recommend the album; the production quality is excellent, too.

Beautiful, unusual, accessible. Richter's music is contemporary, with some touches that are both classical and avant garde. It is easy to listen to, but wonderfully challenging. Some won't like the voices or the odd sounds - but I love his pulling in all the peculiar means of getting us to listen to what may not normally be considered music. It is haunting and eerie and ethereal. As though angels, the new neighbors next door, and Richter all conspired to create something uniquely gorgeous and strange.

A wonderful, brooding, and well-planned mix of consonant contemporary classical music with some touches of ambiant electronics. Sometimes reminescent of Philip Glass, Arvo Part, and Brian Eno's ambient music, but without sounding too derivative. This is clearly Richter's best CD, and it's perhaps one of the best CD's of its genre, although it kinda creates its own genre. This is high praise.

I loved his album Memoryhouse and love this one even more. It takes me a listen or two to get adjusted to his composition but once I get adjusted, his music feels like a trip on a sailboat with a gentle breeze that will slowly but surely make me introspect on my deepest emotions.

Underrated album!

Max Richter is a German-born composer whose minimalist piano and intricately woven poetry makes contemporary classic composition accessible to a much more discriminating modern ear. The Blue Notebooks feature readings from Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks and Czeslaw Milosz's Hymn of the Pearl and Unattainable Earth. The result delivers a stunning post-classical familiarly haunting melodies, as well as straight to the point flawless execution. Side Note: check out Max's collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous (The Future Sound of London) on The Isness. Favorite tracks: On the Nature of Daylight, Shadow Journal, and Written on the Sky. Highly recommended.

I bought this for the song(s) from the movie Arrival, which does not appear on the soundtrack and which I adored (both the song and the movie). I considered buying only that song, but it was on the CD in two versions, and then I sampled the rest and so I bought the whole CD. It's great to listen to while reading and writing.

Though the album is wrapped around a single melody, I still find myself enjoying the entire thing beginning to end. Great for background music, as a way to help focus your thoughts in a busy/noisy place, for making something boring more interesting without totally distracting you and, yes, best when you have time to just listen to it and focus on it, giving it the attention it deserves. Highly recommended.

... the remixes on the D side are oddly bizarre in comparison. It's a mystery that Richter decided to include them at all.

Irgendwo angesiedelt zwischen Philip Glass und Satie... Eine fantastische Atmosphäre, als säße man in einem Park einer Großstadt und hörte gedämpft den Lärm der Stadt. So gedämpft, dass dieser Lärm nicht stresst, sondern etwas beruhigendes hat. Man hört Klavierspiel wie durch ein offenes Fenster auf einem Hinterhof. Im Gegensatz zu einer anderen kritik hier, ist diese Musik für mich ganz zum Hinhören. Mit geschlossenen Augen führt mich diese Musik durch eine Stadt. Eine Schreibmaschiene klappert, an einem anderen Ort Rabengekrächz. Eine großartiges Klangbild mit Klavier und Kammermusik. Sehr sensibel eingespielt und sauber aufgenommen. Es ist eine bestimmte Art von Stille, innerer Stille, die diese Musik für mich beschreibt. Ich finde diese CD einfach nur großartig. Anders kann ich es nicht beschreiben.

Grande compositore... imballo perfetto un po lenta la spedizione. ottima qualità di incisione. la nuova frontiera della musica contemporanea. da consigliare.

Geweldige plaat. De remixen zijn verfrissend. Downtempo moderne klassiekers. Raad ik aan

A1 !! Good stuff!