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The Blue Notebooks

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The Blue Notebooks
Studio album by
Max Richter
Released26 February 2004
Studio
[citation needed]
Genre
Contemporary classical
[citation needed]
Length40:29[citation needed]
Label130701
ProducerMax Richter
Max Richter chronology
Memoryhouse
(2002) 		The Blue Notebooks
(2004) 		Songs from Before
(2006)
Alternative cover
2014 reissue cover

The Blue Notebooks is the second album by neo-classical producer and composer Max Richter. The album was conceived in 2003 and released on 26 February 2004 on 130701, an imprint of FatCat Records. It is a protest album about the 2003 invasion of Iraq and violence in general.

Following the success of his 2012 album Vivaldi Recomposed on the Deutsche Grammophon label, Richter signed many of his previous recordings to DG,[1] including The Blue Notebooks, which was reissued on 29 April 2014.

On 11 May 2018, DG released a two-disc fifteenth-anniversary edition of The Blue Notebooks which includes re-recordings, alternate arrangements, and remixes by Jlin and Konx-Om-Pax.[2][3]

Background

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Richter composed The Blue Notebooks in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He has described it as "a protest album about Iraq, a meditation on violence – both the violence that I had personally experienced around me as a child and the violence of war, at the utter futility of so much armed conflict." The album was recorded about a week after mass protests against the war.[4]

The album features readings from Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks and Czesław Miłosz's Hymn of the Pearl and Unattainable Earth. Both extracts are read by the British actress Tilda Swinton.[5][6]

Composition and performance

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The track "Shadow Journal" was recorded after Richter participated in a demonstration against the Iraq War in London.[7]

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The tracks "Shadow Journal" and "Organum" were included in the soundtrack of the animated documentary Waltz with Bashir (2008), while the track "Vladimir's Blues" is featured throughout all three seasons of the TV series The Leftovers (2014-2017).[citation needed]

The track "On the Nature of Daylight" has been used extensively throughout cinema and television, including in Shutter Island (2010), Disconnect (2012), Arrival (2016), and The Last of Us (2023).[8][9][10][11]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Pitchfork8.7/10[13]
PopMatters8/10[14]
Resident Advisor4.5/5[15]
Stylus MagazineB−[16]
Tiny Mix Tapes4/5[17]
Uncut8/10[18]

The Blue Notebooks received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music critics.[citation needed]

In his positive review, Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork explains,

"The Blue Notebooks is a case study in direct, minor-key melody. Each of the piano pieces [...] establish strong melodic motifs in under two minutes, all the while resisting additional orchestration. Elsewhere, Richter's string suites are similarly striking; "On the Nature of Daylight" coaxes a stunning rise out of gently provincial arrangements while the comparatively epic penultimate track "The Trees" boasts an extended introductory sequence for what is probably the album's closest brush with grandiosity. Richter's slightly less traditional pieces also resound; both the underwater choral hymnal "Iconography" and the stately organ piece "Organum" echo the spiritual ambience that characterized his work for Future Sound of London. There is absolutely nothing exclusive or contrived-feeling about it. In fact, not only is Richter's second album one of the finest of the last six months, it is also one of the most affecting and universal contemporary classical records in recent memory."[13]

In 2019, The Guardian writers ranked The Blue Notebooks the 21st greatest work of art music since 2000, with John Lewis praising "On the Nature of Daylight" as a piece in which "ever-expanding layers of strings are used to heart-tugging effect."[19]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Max Richter

No.TitleLength
1."The Blue Notebooks"1:19
2."On the Nature of Daylight"6:11
3."Horizon Variations"1:52
4."Shadow Journal"8:22
5."Iconography"3:38
6."Vladimir's Blues"1:18
7."Arboretum"2:53
8."Old Song"2:11
9."Organum"3:13
10."The Trees"7:52
11."Written on the Sky"1:40
Total length:40:29
The Blue Notebooks: 15 Years Edition
No.TitleLength
12."A Catalogue of Afternoons"1:21
13."On the Nature of Daylight" (Orchestral Version)6:36
14."Vladimir's Blues 2018"1:30
15."On the Nature of Daylight (Entropy)"6:54
16."Vladimir's Blues" (Jlin Remix)3:45
17."Iconography" (Konx-Om-Pax Remix)3:56
18."This Bitter Earth / On the Nature Of Daylight" (with Dinah Washington)6:13
Total length:70:44

Featured readings:

  • Track 1 reading from "The First Notebook" in Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks
  • Track 4 reading from "At Dawn" in Czesław Miłosz's Unattainable Earth
  • Track 7 reading from "The Third Notebook" in Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks
  • Track 8 reading from "The Fourth Notebook" in Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks
  • Track 10 reading from "The Wormwood Star" movement of "The Separate Notebooks" in Czesław Miłosz's Hymn Of The Pearl

Personnel

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Credits adapted from The Blue Notebooks: 15 Years Edition interior booklet:[2]

  • Reader: Tilda Swinton (1, 4, 7, 8, 10)
  • Piano: Max Richter (1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14-16)
  • Electronics: Max Richter (1, 3-5, 7-10, 17)
  • Violins: Louisa Fuller and Natalia Bonner (2, 4, 7, 10, 15, 18)
  • Viola: John Metcalfe (2, 4, 7, 10, 15, 18)
  • Cellos: Philip Sheppard and Chris Worsey (2, 4, 7, 10, 18); Chris Worsey and Ian Burdge (15)
  • Max Richter Orchestra conducted by Lorenz Dangel (13)
  • Vocals: Dinah Washington (18)

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Date
United Kingdom 26 February 2004
United States 18 May 2004
United States 11 May 2018

References

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  1. ^ Vincent, Michael (March 17, 2014). "Deutsche Grammophon signs contemporary/minimalist composer Max Richter". Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "RICHTER Blue Notebooks (15 Years Edition)". Deutsche Grammophon. n.d. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  3. ^ Lockie, Connor (17 July 2018). "Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks (15 Years Edition)". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  4. ^ Richter, Max (8 July 2016). "Millions of us knew the Iraq war would be a catastrophe. Why didn't Tony Blair?". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  5. ^ https://www.udiscovermusic.com/classical-features/the-blue-notebooks-max-richter/
  6. ^ https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/60185/1/max-richter-tilda-swinton-glastonbury-performance-2023-the-blue-notebooks-album
  7. ^ Dazed (2023-06-23). "Max Richter and Tilda Swinton delve into their Glastonbury performance". Dazed. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
  8. ^ Bambarger, Bradley (12 March 2010). "'Shutter Island' soundtrack casts eerie spell". New Jersey On-Line. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  9. ^ Kemp, Ella (2023-03-13). "'The Last Of Us' soundtrack: every song and when it's played". NME. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  10. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 13, 2016). "Oscars: Academy Disqualifies Arrival, Silence, Manchester Original Scores". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight (Disconnect - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)".
  12. ^ Phares, Heather. "The Blue Notebooks – Max Richter". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  13. ^ a b Pytlik, Mark (1 July 2004). "Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  14. ^ Garratt, John (12 May 2015). "Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  15. ^ Dicker, Holly (5 June 2018). "Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks (15 Years Edition)". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  16. ^ Schepper, Ron (10 March 2004). "Max Richter – The Blue Notebook – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  17. ^ Jean-Pierre. "Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  18. ^ Martin, Piers (August 2018). "Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks". Uncut (255): 45.
  19. ^ Clements, Andrew; Maddocks, Fiona; Lewis, John; Molleson, Kate; Service, Tom; Jeal, Erica; Ashley, Tim (2019-09-12). "The best classical music works of the 21st century". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
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