Often, especially young artists, you feel like you should be doing something. And I think that can be very destructive because creativity is about connecting with the stuff that's deep inside you and making something out of that.
Max RichterRead
I'm suspicious of the idea of categories in music and this idea of things being in boxes. To me, that seems unnatural. I write the music that somebody with my biography would write, and the thing that's always driven me is an enthusiasm for the material. I sort of follow the notes to where they want to go.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Music should not be confined to categories or genres; it should flow naturally from the artist's experiences.
In this quote, Max Richter expresses his skepticism about categorizing music into rigid boxes, suggesting that such limitations feel artificial. He emphasizes that his creativity is motivated by his personal experiences and a passionate curiosity for the music itself, allowing the notes to guide him rather than conforming to predefined categories.
Themes
MusicCreativityArtistic ExpressionGenresCategories
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on artistic freedom, this quote can highlight the importance of individual expression.
More from Max Richter
All quotes →All music is just a collision of sounds until you know its internal conventions and understand the nuances. It's a question of familiarity.
Max RichterRead
The thing that makes me want to write a piece of music is having something to talk about, you know? Something I want to get across. Because I'm a composer, music is my first language, and that's what I reach for when I want to convey something.
Max RichterRead
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