Sounds and Visions

A weekend curated by Max Richter and Yulia Mahr

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Max Richter and Yulia Mahr at the Barbican
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The acclaimed composer Max Richter and artist Yulia Mahr present a weekend journey into music, image and their meeting points in today's culture.

Over eighteen concerts and film screenings - both ticketed and free - the weekend takes in a rare performance of Infra by Max and the 12 Ensemble, Three Worlds from his recent Woolf Works and the Chineke! orchestra giving a live performance of his score to Waltz with Bashir. Plus, they've invited the likes of Jlin, the London Syrian Ensemble, Colin Stetson's Ex Eye, the Colin Currie Group, Caterina Barbieri and many more to join them.

‘'Sounds and Visions' sums up our feeling that creativity exists as a social project that illuminates the lives of individuals and society as a whole, and that art exists beyond all boundaries.‘
Max Richter & Yulia Mahr

Events

Film programme

Throughout the weekend a number of film screenings in our cinemas (both free and ticketed) form a second strand of Sounds and Visions – showcasing an array of works from documentaries to experimental films.

There’s full screenings of Stan Brakhage’s vast avant-garde journey Dog Star Man (1961 – 1964), and the documentary I Dream of Wires (2014), which depicts the history and resurgence – continuing in some of the weekend’s gigs – of the modular synthesizer. And there’ll also be a series of shorts shown, including Peter Greenaway’s study of the artist Meredith Monk (1983), Charles and Ray Eames’ examination of the scale of the universe in The Powers of 10 (1968), and many more, including with soundtracks from the likes of John Cage, Stravinsky and Duke Ellington.

Take a look at the full programme of free screenings here.

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Discover

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max richter and yulia mahr in front of concrete

Podcast : Sounds and Visions - Episode 1

Ahead of Sounds and Visions, we caught up with Richter and Mahr and found out how they met, how they work together and what to expect from the weekend. Plus there are interviews with Jlin and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, who will be playing in the Hall.

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still from waltz with bashir

Podcast : Sounds and Visions - Episode 2

We take a look at award-winning animated film Waltz with Bashir, speak to director Ari Folman about putting his own story onto the screen, and talk to Chineke! Orchestra founder Chi-chi Nwanoku about promoting more visibility for BAME musicians.

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Listen: Max Richter - Sounds and Visions

A selection of the music you can hear at the Max Richter curated Sounds and Visions weekender, at the Barbican in May 2018.

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Photo of Nils Frahm performing at the Barbican

Listen: Barbican Recommends

Not sure what to listen to? Every month we update our Barbican Recommends Spotify playlist with what we've been listening to in the office. Expect everything from Actress and Arcade Fire to Kamasi Washington and Omar Souleyman.