Video: Noted British composer Max Richter in the ETV2 studio
German-born British minimalist composer Max Richter appeared on ETV2 broadcast Plekktrumm on Monday night, talking to presenter Joonas Hellerma about his relationship with Estonia, which he first visited 20 years ago, music and politics, and also Brexit, which he referred to as the ultimate tragedy.
Richter, 53, whose compositions include Memoryhouse (2002) and The Blue Notebooks (2004), as well as several movie and TV scores including for 2018 film Hostiles, starring Christian Bale, and popular Netflix series Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders.
Richter was in Estonia this time to re-record Memoryhouse with conductor Kristjan Järvi and his Baltic Sea Philharmonic orchestra, according to ERR's Kultuur portal.
He also met Estonia's most famous composer, Arvo Pärt, and visited the eponymous center in Laulasmaa, west of Tallinn.
Most recently, Richter composed for new Brad Pitt sci-fi movie Ad Astra. Richter hinted some of the influence for Ad Astra may have come from one of his earliest memories when, as a two-year-old, he watched the Apollo 11 lunar landing on TV, at the behest of his parents.
Richter also noted his music was political at times, and called Brexit a supreme tragedy and a hijacking of history. He noted that reversing the tendency towards supra-national organizations like the EU was a retrograde step and an anti-civilization idea.
You can watch the full interview in English in the video link above.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
