SLEEP by Max Richter - A Night at the Fondation
- Place
- Auditorium
- Hours
- 11 p.m. - 7 a.m.
The Fondation welcomes Max Richter for two extraordinary evenings centred around the "SLEEP" project, marking the 10th anniversary of the musical work's creation.
Following performances in Vienna in March and London in September, Max Richter and Yulia Mahr celebrate this milestone at the Fondation on 14 and 15 November 2025.
These unique evenings offer two musical and sensory experiences. In the Auditorium or in the Galleries of the Gerhard Richter exhibition, two approaches to the SLEEP work are presented to audiences:
- Concert in the Auditorium: SLEEP, lasting 8 hours, performed by Max Richter on keyboards with a string quintet and soprano. Audience members lie on beds arranged throughout the Auditorium and experience the performance from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Or
- Musical journey through the Gerhard Richter exhibition, with live broadcast of the first two hours of SLEEP, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
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Released in 2015 and co-conceived with his creative partner Yulia Mahr, Richter’s magnum opus "SLEEP", is regarded as one of the most ambitious and culturally significant classical music projects of the 21st century.
An 8 hour musical enquiry into how sound and the sleeping mind interact, it explores the effects of subsonics and repetition to enhance slow wave sleep.
The all-night performances of ‘SLEEP’ have become distinctive cultural events that challenge how we experience music; blurring the lines between concert and art installation and taking place in the world's most iconic settings such as the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris and The Great Wall of China.
“Playing SLEEP live is unforgettable. The feeling of a community of strangers deeply connected through this music ritual is overwhelming, and like no other musical experience.”
For this 10th anniversary, Max Richter releases a new album, Sleep Circle, a 90-minute journey into the hypnagogic state – the period during which the brain transitions from from consciousness and sleep to the dreaming state.
Max Richter
Max Richter is an Oscar-nominated composer and one of the most influential and acclaimed musical voices of his generation. Renowned for redefining contemporary classical music through the seamless fusion of traditional orchestration and modern electronic elements, Richter’s work spans solo albums, ballet, fi m, fashion and installation. His singular ability to translate profound human experience into sound has earned him a vast global following, with his catalogue now surpassing three billion streams worldwide.
Beyond his solo work, Richter is a prolific and sought-after collaborator. His recent score for Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao, has received widespread critical acclaim, earning nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards and the Academy Awards, underscoring his position as one of contemporary cinema’s most distinctive musical voices.
His creative partnerships span disciplines and generations: from scoring Dior runway shows for Kim Jones, to landmark ballets with Wayne McGregor, and fi lm collaborations with directors including Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese and Ari Folman. Whatever the medium, Richter’s work is defi ned by emotional clarity, conceptual ambition and a deep humanism.
Central to this evolving body of work is Studio Richter Mahr, co-founded by Richter and his creative partner, visual artist Yulia Mahr. Located in rural Oxfordshire within a restored farmhouse set among 31 acres of woodland, the solar- and heat-pump-powered studio operates as a sustainable, multidisciplinary retreat - conceived as both instrument and environment, and refl ecting Richter’s belief that music-making can shape not only culture but the world around it. Through its residency programme, the studio offers artists free access and uninterrupted time in this serene setting, fostering focused experimentation and meaningful creative development.
Across more than two decades of work, from politically charged projects to intimate solo recordings, from overnight concerts to Oscar-nominated fi lm scores, Max Richter continues to expand the language of contemporary composition, creating immersive worlds in which listeners can reflect, dream and reconnect.
In recognition of his contribution to music, Richter was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the King’s New Year Honours, reflecting both his cultural impact in the UK and his international standing as a leading figure in contemporary composition. In 2026, he was also presented with the Berlinale Camera at the Berlin International Film Festival, acknowledging his outstanding contributions at the intersection of music, cinema and cultural reflection.
