Max Richter

While some phone calls carry tear-inducing messages, what if the ringtones themselves caused welling up? Scottish composer/pianist Max Richter takes up the challenge of creating 24 brief works that can haunt you after their fleeting tones disperse. Richter's notes about the album underline our current tendency to lose the musical message while analyzing the medium. The postcard is a simple consumer surface allowing the briefest of communication, but one of often deep emotional import. Each piece is a simple cluster of elements and instruments from classical composition, at times enhanced or scarred by shimmering electronic processes or the crackle of analog degradations. Their order is unimportant, with Richter claiming they will eventually be given life as actual ringtones in prepared but still randomly ordered performances. The important part is that the music is communicative in its plaintive strings, playful melodies and hopeful tones. These are vivid recollections of bright moments, shared with a significant other you wished was there too.