Synesthesia: the music of Max Richter and the champagne orchestra

A catalogue with over three billion streams around the world. At least fifty film projects featuring his music. Most recently the soundtrack for Hamnet, the Oscar-nominated film directed by Chloé Zhao. Max Richter, pianist and composer, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, is the musician chosen this year by the Champagne Maison Krug to create a melodic accompaniment to the powerful 2008 vintage. A project combining art and wine, music and champagne. Two worlds united by multiple correspondences, especially in the creative phase of what to all intents and purposes remain refined artisanal processes. After numerous in-depth visits to the maison, back in the placid quiet of his studios in the Oxfordshire hills, Richter created three compositions, Clarity, Ensemble and Sinfonia, which were performed in London. The Roundhouse arena in Camden was transformed into an auditorium for a musical tasting of three champagnes, Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 2008, Krug 2008 and Krug Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition. An exceptional vintage for the region. The first is a virtuoso soloist, a singular manifestation of Pinot Noir from the Clos d'Ambonnay, a small, fenced-in plot of 0.68 hectares in the heart of one of the
most renowned villages in Champagne for this vine. The second is an expression of the vintage, an unexpected harmony of contrasting aromas that become balanced and intense on the palate. The third was composed around the 2008 harvest and is a blend of wines from 127 plots from 11 different vintages, from 1990 to 2008.
 

Ispirandosi a ogni nota di Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 2008, Krug 2008 e Krug Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition, Max Richter ha immaginato tre brani musicali: Clarity, Ensemble e Sinfonia, tre variazioni sul 2008.

Chatting with the musician the next morning, Richter confirmed that he has always been a fan of bubbly: 'All three of my children were welcomed at birth with a toast of Krug and the youngest was born in 2008, a detail that made this encounter almost inevitable. The composer emphasised the extreme connection of our senses: 'Enjoying a glass of champagne is never just a matter of taste: it is a multidimensional experience involving colour, light, temperature, scent or the time of day. Music works the same way: we listen to it, but when it is performed live, there is also a visual and spatial dimension that shapes our perception'.
The project developed by Richter together with Krug chef de cave Julie Cavil was entitled Every Note Counts. Because that's just how it is: as in music, every nuance is vital for champagne. 'One starts from silence, the other originates from nature,' says Richter. "But both slowly shape something unique and new, where every note counts."
 

Every Note Counts è un incontro tra due menti determinate: Julie Cavil, Chef de Caves, e Max Richter, compositore, pianista e produttore che trascende i generi. Un dialogo guidato da una ricerca condivisa di precisione e sperimentazione.

"Every Note Counts is an exploration of our shared vision that art is in the details," explains Julie Cavil. "Listening to Richter's music, one gets the impression that it is natural. Yet behind that clarity, there is an enormous amount of meticulous work, just like ours." As in a grand symphony, where each instrument makes its contribution and brings its own voice, the Grande Cuvée brings together different vintages and aromatic profiles in order to achieve the necessary harmony. And the wine of a single plot stands out like a soloist.
 

L’arena Roundhouse di Camden si è trasformata in platea per una degustazione musicale di tre champagne, Krug Clos d’Ambonnay 2008, Krug 2008 e Krug Grande Cuvée 164ème Édition.

Richter's experiments are a careful as well as daring reinterpretation of classical forms (his reinterpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons was very popular) and in this case they captured the classicism of the 2008 vintage. "The 2008 vintage stands out as one of the last truly classic vintages in the Nordic climate," Cavil confirms. "The cool conditions, delicate contrasts and constant, measured ripening allowed the grapes to develop with remarkable balance and precision. The wines themselves embody elegance, verticality and a subtle austerity'.
Each vineyard plot expresses its own sound and voice. "My role is precisely to understand the singularity of each of our plots throughout the Champagne region and, ultimately, if the year inspires me, to carefully arrange and harmonise these voices to create a soloist (a single plot) or an ensemble (the vintage), while the orchestra (the complete Champagne symphony) is recreated every single year. I act like an orchestra conductor: I listen, guide and model the compositions so that each note, each nuance, finds its place,' reflects the chef de cave.
On the other hand, recent studies have shown that the senses of hearing and taste are closely linked in the brain and that for some people, sound can actually influence the perception of the palate.