Max Richter - Ambient Orchestra with Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Vivid LIVE

No two Max Richter performances are ever the same. The last time the master pianist, composer and new-classical polymath played Vivid LIVE in 2016, he wowed audiences with his eight-hour somnambulant epic Sleep, and now he’s returning with conductor Matthew Lynch and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a visionary sonic exploration of the orchestra as a medium for ambient music.

Performed live for only the second time following its London premiere last year, Ambient Orchestra finds the German-born, London-raised composer eschewing electronics for an orchestra to create a suite of music he describes "as a space to reflect on ideas and feelings." The program, which features acclaimed British soprano Grace Davidson, will include selections from Testament, The Waves, ‘Dream 19’ from SLEEP, Opus 2020, Arbenita and Exiles, all making their Australian premieres.

A classically-trained composer who has captivated global audiences with his genre-defying work in post-minimalism, ambient music and the avant garde, Richter is the world's most-streamed classical artist, a groundbreaking innovator of form, and a tireless human rights advocate. His work includes modern classics like The Blue Notebooks (2004) and his 2012 reimagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and his music has soundtracked acclaimed films and television series by Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve and many more.

"I'm excited to be bringing my Ambient Orchestra to Vivid – an adventurous festival which is the perfect place to perform these pieces exploring the orchestra as a medium for ambient music.

I'll be performing two pieces which have never been played in Australia before – Exiles and Testament.

Some of my best live memories are from the Sydney Opera House, so I’m glad to be back for the first time since 2016's SLEEP." – Max Richter