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Songs from Before (Max Richter album)

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Songs from Before
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 23, 2006
StudioEastcote Studios
(London, England)
The Exchange Studios
(London, England)
Genre
Length37:18
Label130701
Max Richter chronology
The Blue Notebooks
(2004)
Songs from Before
(2006)
24 Postcards in Full Colour
(2008)
Alternative cover
2014 reissue cover

Songs from Before is the third solo album by neo-classical composer Max Richter, released on October 23, 2006 on 130701, an imprint of FatCat Records.[1]

The album was reissued on April 25, 2014 on Deutsche Grammophon.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork8.3/10[2]

Songs from Before received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics.

Pitchfork gave the album a positive review, stating, "Richter takes techniques from the classics and modifies their approach to make more appropriate—but no less efficacious—statements for his own circumstances. Given Songs from Before's thematic conceit, this is appropriate: Richter isn't interested in changing the way the world hears his music as much as idealizing how he wants to hear it. He resurrects past idols for present idioms, his heroes, proclivities and experiences donned as unrepentantly as the nostalgia at Songs' core."[2]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Max Richter

No.TitleLength
1."Song"4:12
2."Flowers for Yulia"6:50
3."Fragment"1:41
4."Harmonium"4:21
5."Ionosphere"1:27
6."Autumn Music 1"3:54
7."Time Passing"1:51
8."Sunlight"5:35
9."Lullaby"0:53
10."Autumn Music 2"3:49
11."Verses"1:43
12."From the Rue Vilin"1:02
Total length:37:18
Deutsche Grammophon reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Leo"2:26
Total length:39:44

The album features readings from a number of novels by Haruki Murakami, all read by Robert Wyatt.[1]

Personnel

[edit]
Musicians
  • Max Richter – piano
  • Chris Worsey – cello
  • Natalia Bonner – violin
  • Ian Burdge – cello
  • Robert Wyatt – readings
Production
  • Max Richter – producer, mixing
  • Mark Rankin, Anna Tjan – engineer
  • Nic Shonfeld – photography

Release history

[edit]
Country Date
United Kingdom October 23, 2006
United States October 30, 2006

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Fatcat Records — Press". www.fat-cat.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  2. ^ a b Currin, Grayson. "Max Richter: Songs From Before Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-02-12.