International Composer Max Richter Performs at Fine Arts Center

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Composer Max Richter will be joined by the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) and special guest narrator Laura Hooper for a concert at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

With Richter on keyboards and electronics and ACME in quintet form, the ensemble will perform his work “Infra,” originally inspired by T.S. Eliot's “The Waste Land,” and selections from the enhanced reissue of his 2004 album, “The Blue Notebooks.”

Originally composed for a Royal Ballet production in 2008, Infra is a piece about traveling and a reaction to the 7/7 bombings in London, a meditation on the political state of city and the tragedy of those events. The Blue Notebooks is Richter’s attempt for music to comment on society and exist as an anti-violence record. Originally written in 2003, the album was one of the first to combine classical and electronic elements with a post-rock sensibility.

Richter has become best known for his genre-defining and highly influential solo albums which have given rise to the neo-classical movement. Richter’s sonic world blends a formal classical training—he graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and was a pupil of renowned composer Luciano Berio—with modern technology. His works have made him one of the most prolific of contemporary musical artists, with a collaborative output encompassing concert music, operas, ballets, art and video installations, and multiple film, theater and television scores featured in prominent television and film projects, including “Miss Sloane,” Netflix’s “Black Mirror” and HBO’s “The Leftovers.”

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) is a collection of some of the most sought-after artists in the contemporary music industry. Led by artistic director Clarice Jensen, the ensemble is dedicated to performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st century, particularly by American composers. During its 10th anniversary season in 2015, ACME was honored by ASCAP for its outstanding execution and celebration of the work of American composers.

Tickets for Max Richter are $35 and $25; Five College students and youth 17 and under are $10. Faculty and staff are eligible for 15 percent off tickets (limit two per performance) for the individual performances. 

Tickets are available by calling the FAC box office at 545-2511 or 800-999-UMAS, or online at fineartscenter.com/Richter. A prix fixe dinner will also be available at the University Club prior to the show. For details visit fineartscenter.com/prixfixe.