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Weekend Listen: Composer Max Richter on AI and Music’s Future

November 8, 2026 · 43 min

Show notes

Max Richter is one of the most successful classical composers alive. His catalog has had more than 4 billion streams and his works range from an eight-hour album based on the science of sleep to the Oscar-nominated score for the film Hamnet.

Richter’s work often responds to political upheavals and current events. His new album, ‘While The Flood Rages’, derives from his score for a ballet inspired by Margaret Atwood‘s MaddAddam trilogy of books.

In this conversation with Mishal Husain, he discusses his influences, his creative process and how music is his refuge from the world.

This episode features the tracks:

‘On The Nature of Daylight’, by Max Richter, from the album ‘The Blue Notebooks’. Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon.

‘While The Flood Rages’, by Max Richter, from the album While The Flood Rages. Courtesy of Decca Records, part of Universal Music Group.

Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/mishal to read Mishal’s notes and reflections on this conversation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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