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MAX RICHTER
‘SLEEP CIRCLE’
album screening
+ SOPHIE HUTCHINGS
live performance
@ The Gunnery
Woolloomooloo, Sydney
September 4, 2025
(Live Review)

Review by Paige Clifford

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I was delighted to attend the Australian exclusive performance screening of Max Richter’s new album ‘Sleep Circle’ on Thursday night at The Gunnery in Sydney, prior to its release the following day. The event also featured a live performance from Sophie Hutchings.

This was an intimate experience put together by Artspace, an organisation currently housed in The Gunnery and focused on the production and presentation of contemporary art. The space held maybe sixty people, flitting about with sparkling glasses of prosecco in hand. Neoclassical music invites an eccentric bunch, apparently, and there was no clear dress code, with guests sporting blazers to Nikes, or even both. The exposed brick walls were illuminated by blue and yellow lights, all directing your gaze to the centre of the rectangular room. Black leather beanbags were scattered about the floor, circling the performance area and inviting us to take a seat with already lounging guests.

Cyrus Meher-Homji, Senior Vice President of Classics and Jazz at Universal Music Australia, introduced the intention of Richter’s shortened, revamped album ‘Sleep Circle’, a follow-up to the 2015 record ‘Sleep’, which was an impressive eight times in length. He invited us to relax, lay back, and even do as the title suggests and sleep. But first, a live performance from an ARIA-award winning pianist and composer.

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Max Richter

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Sophie Hutchings breezed through the audience to her small setup. She wore jeans, a long flowy shirt, and a funky, patterned vest – effortlessly cool! Perched in a semicircle in front of an arched window were two keyboards, an electric guitar, and an upright piano with the front panel removed so you could see its inner intricacies. Sophie pulled off her black heeled boots, stood over one of the keyboards, and proceeded to conjure magic from the synth, controlling the dials to fill the space with a dreamlike glow. Moving over to take a seat at the upright piano, her fingers flowed effortlessly across the keys, her melody telling a haunting story.

The music faded, and there was a prolonged silence, guests unwilling to disturb the atmosphere Hutchings had created.

“You can clap, you know!” she joked, which was met with laughter and vigorous applause.

Sophie introduced her bandmates, Benjamin Fletcher on guitar and David Hunt on synth. You would never have guessed that it was their first time performing these pieces together for an audience.

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The second song began with only piano. Hutchings played with a calm precision, swaying gently, and I was mesmerised by the hammers moving inside the piano with every key she touched. Hutchings gestured vaguely to her bandmates, who anticipated her every need. A car honked its horn outside, but nothing could pull the room out of their immersion. In the final piece, their instruments blended beautifully, a seamlessly rich melding of sound. Go listen to Sophie Hutchings record ‘become the sky’, released earlier this year, and you’ll understand.

After a short intermission, we swivelled our beanbags to face the formerly blank wall on the opposite side of the room, which had now become a projection screen. It felt like I was attending a very upscale backyard movie night at a friend’s house, with the only things missing a white sheet, popcorn, and sleeping bags.

Earthy visuals graced the screen, and we were lead through a forest of trees to a studio with wooden floors and panelled walls. The next fifty-four minutes of ‘Sleep Circle’ achieved exactly what Richter had hoped for, with the audience laying back, closing their eyes, and reflecting to a soundtrack of impeccable music. The band consisted of Richter on a sleek, grand piano and synthesiser, Nick Barr on viola, Louisa Fuller and Natalia Bonner on violin, Max Ruisi and Zara Hudson-Kozdoj on cello, and Grace Davidson delivering stunning vocals.

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Sophie Hutchings

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The pieces were distinctive yet morphed between one another without disturbing the flow in a way that I really enjoyed. Despite not being performed live, you could still feel the energy filling the room, and I constantly found myself asking, “Are there six instruments playing or just one?” Maybe I just need to invest in a better sound system at home!

Davidson’s ethereal vocals in ‘Path 3 / Whose Name Is Written On Water’ was the highlight of the screening for me. Soft but strong, her voice reverberated through me, echoing in the studio space in a way that can only be described as siren-like. Richter’s controlled hands provided a simple, foundational underscoring to the harmony of the stringed instruments. If you’re going to listen to only one song from the album, it should be this one (technically there are two parts, but I’m sure you can manage that).

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Max Richter

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The final piece included in the screening, which I believe was “Chorale”, felt like a sunrise. Across the pieces, I could sense a theme of introspection and looking inward to oneself, but this song felt contrastingly hopeful. I listened to the strings remain on one chord for what felt like eternity, waiting to resolve, but instead they just softly ceased playing. The start of a new day.

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AMNPLIFY – DB