Voices
An "upside down" orchestra and readings of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Max Richter, 2020
- Released
- 31 July 2020
- Label
- Decca
- Producer
- Max Richter
Voices, made with Yulia Mahr, is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It uses what Richter called an upside-down orchestra, a concept he developed out of dismay at post-truth politics. The declaration is read by Eleanor Roosevelt and by the actress KiKi Layne, with another 70 readings crowd-sourced from around the world. Mahr's accompanying videos draw on her own experience of migration, and one of them, Mercy, won a BAFTA.
The Decca vinyl edition has ten pieces, from All Human Beings to Mercy. Robert Ziegler conducts, Mari Samuelsen is the solo violinist, Ian Burdge the solo cellist and Grace Davidson among the sopranos. Richter produced and mixed it with Rupert Coulson, and Yo-Yo Ma played its opening piece at his concert A New Equilibrium, honouring the 75th anniversary of the UN.
Track listing
- All Human Beings
- Origins
- Journey Piece
- Chorale
- Hypocognition
- Prelude 6
- Murmuration
- Cartography
- Little Requiems
- Mercy
Personnel
- Max Richter piano, organ, synthesiser, producer, mixing
- Robert Ziegler conductor
- Mari Samuelsen violin, soloist
- Ian Burdge cello, soloist
- Grace Davidson soprano
- KiKi Layne narrator
- Yulia Mahr executive producer, art direction
- Rupert Coulson recording, mixing
- Mandy Parnell mastering
More from Max Richter
Memoryhouse (2002), The Blue Notebooks (2004), Songs from Before (2006), 24 Postcards in Full Colour (2008), Infra (2010), Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (2012), Sleep (2015), In a Landscape (2024)
Sources
- Voices (master), Discogs
- Voices (Decca LP), Discogs
- Max Richter, Wikipedia