Max Richter: 24 Postcards in Full Colour

Label: Fat Cat

The buzz about Max Richter’s fourth full-length album, 24 Postcards In Full Colour, has inevitably been focused on the music’s high-concept underpinnings: consisting of 24 short ringtone-length vignettes, the album was composed not to be played in sequence, but at random – rushing and dwindling like memories, thrown out in clumps to float down like confetti. And while the bite-size tunes Richter collects here certainly lend themselves to such a presentation, both in their short length and their densely evocative melodies (some of the loveliest the maestro has yet devised), as an album, 24 Postcards In Full Colour is a coherent effort that flows splendidly from one track to the next. While Richter’s previous efforts have relied heavily upon spoken-word interludes, samples, and sound-collage, 24 Postcards uses electronics primarily as texture, to bolster the strings and piano that carry thepieces. This approach lays bare Richter’s brilliance as a composer, foregrounding the haunting, nostalgic, and irrepressibly memorable melodies for which he has become known. 24 Postcards is essential listening for lovers of modern classical music; but even more, it is a wonderful stepping stone for those who want to start exploring this rich genre. (Jackie)