Max Richter has released his brand new album ‘Sleep Circle’ to mark the tenth anniversary of his landmark project ‘SLEEP’.
You can listen to the first single from the new album, ‘Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt.2’, HERE.
Released in 2015 and co-conceived with his creative partner Yulia Mahr, Richter’s magnum opus, ‘SLEEP’, is regarded as one of the most ambitious and culturally significant classical music projects of the 21st century. An 8 ½ hour musical enquiry into how sound and the sleeping mind interact, it explores the effects of subsonics and repetition to enhance slow wave sleep.
‘Sleep Circle’ is a hallucinatory 90-minute trip into the hypnagogic state – the time period when the brain transitions between a state of wakefulness and sleep and the state during which the individual dreams. Performing an abridged version of ‘SLEEP’ live in 2023 offered Richter new insights into his epic composition and led him to approach the songs with a more traditional architecture, resulting in this new recording being laid down at Studio Richter Mahr. The length is not arbitrary however; 90 minutes is the length of a typical REM cycle.
If ‘SLEEP’ provides the gateway to a full night’s sleep, ‘Sleep Circle’ provides the backdrop to a moment of complete deep sleep. The perfect mise-en-scene to dream.
Alongside the new album, Richter has also announced the largest ever performances of ‘SLEEP’ in London this September, marking the first time Richter has performed ‘SLEEP’ in the city since 2017.
The all-night performances of ‘SLEEP’ have become distinctive cultural events that challenge how we experience music; blurring the lines between concert and art installation and taking place in the world’s most iconic settings such as the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris and The Great Wall of China.
The milestone tenth anniversary this September will see Richter bring this transcendental live experience to new audiences by playing the largest SLEEP shows to date at Alexandra Palace in London on Friday 5th & Saturday 6th September.
Inspired by Byung-Chul Han’s ‘The Burnout Society’, Richter conceived ‘SLEEP’ as an antidote to the restless urgency of modern life.. A landmark creation that merges music, neuroscience, art, and human experience in a truly unique way, ‘SLEEP’s remarkable impact meant it was the first classical record to reach 1 billion streams. It now stands at over 2.2 billion.
The ‘SLEEP’ app also continues to provide fans an extended experience at home, allowing listeners to make a unique and personal journey through the landscape of ‘SLEEP’ in a completely new way to help sleep, meditate and focus. The app now has over 500k+ downloads and has generated over 144 million streams to date.
One the most influential and acclaimed composers of his generation, Richter is known for his ability to seamlessly blend traditional orchestrations with modern electronic elements. His unparalleled ability to translate profound human experiences into musical compositions has earned him a dedicated global following, with his catalogue amassing over three billion streams to date.
Beyond his solo endeavors, Richter’s is a prolific collaborator who has worked with esteemed creatives and visionaries across multiple disciplines. From scoring Dior shows for Kim Jones to composing for ballets choreographed by Wayne McGregor or his contributions to the world of cinema and TV with directors Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, and Ari Folman, Richter’s versatility knows no bounds.
Richter is co-founder of Studio Richter Mahr alongside his partner, visual artist Yulia Mahr. Set in the English countryside in Oxfordshire, Max and Yulia built the multimedia production studio inside a former farmhouse and have powered it with cutting-edge solar and heat-pump technology. Located within 31 acres of woodland, the duo have a huge passion for using the land to farm and provide a sustainable working environment, serving as a space where both emerging and established creatives can come to develop their work.
Max Richter SLEEP Live Dates 2025:
Fri 05/09/25 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace
Sat 06/09/25 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace
‘Sleep Circle’ Tracklist:
CD 1
01. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt.1
02. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt.2
03. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt.3
04. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt.4
05. Path 3 / Whose Name Is Written On Water Pt.1
06. Path 3 / Whose Name Is Written On Water Pt.2
07. Patterns / Solo Pt.1
08. Patterns / Solo Pt.2
09. Patterns / Solo Pt.3
10. Return Pt.1
11. Return Pt.2
CD 2
12. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt. 5
13. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt. 6
14. Dream 11 / Moth-Like Stars Pt. 7
15. Non-Eternal Pt.1
16. Non-Eternal Pt.2
17. Non-Eternal Pt.3
18. Chorale
19. Dream 0 Pt.1
20. Dream 0 Pt.2
21. Dream 0 Pt.3
22. Dream 0 Pt.4
23. Dream 0 Pt.5
24. Dream 0 Pt.6