No. 1

Max Richter, From Sleep

Deutsche Grammophon, 2015 / 7 songs, 1 hour

When UK composer Max Richter premiered Sleep in London, in 2015, the concert lasted all night—hardly a customary occurrence in the contemporary classical world. Stranger still, the audience dozed on cots. That’s because Sleep is designed to induce just that. It’s not just that the eight-hour piece for piano and strings is soft, gentle and reassuringly consonant, or that it lasts eight hours—long enough, in other words, to last ’til dawn. When writing, Richter consulted with sleep neuroscientist David Eagleman, folding cutting-edge research on slow-wave phases of sleep—states crucial to learning and memory—into the very shape of the piece. The slow tempo is intended to have a lulling effect, drawing listeners into drowsiness and holding them there. In the opening movements, the music’s repetitive nature and recurring themes are subtly hypnotic, assisting listeners in clearing weary minds; as the piece goes on, instrumental outlines are worn away, leading to a quasi-ambient fog. Fortunately for listeners who don’t want to miss these moments of sublime beauty, a companion album, From Sleep, excerpts the most striking movements in a comparatively brief one-hour dosage—just the thing, perhaps, for a relaxing cup of tea in the morning.

(Excerpted from Apple music)