Decca Records release composer Max Richter's Voices, a classical album which pushes the boundaries of music, art and technology. Not only is this a showcase of his extraordinary talent, but it's also a call to contemplation and a celebration of community in changing times...

Voices is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document dating back to 1948 which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly establishing a set of principles for the rights of individuals. Composer Max Richter crowd-sourced multiple readings of the Declaration in different languages. He received hundreds of submissions in over 70 languages, some of which form the aural landscape of the album.

The music is mellow and laid back, ebbing and flowing as the tracks progress. The constant progression of the UDHR readings help bond the entire work together beautifully. However, if you purchase the CD release it comes with a second disc, which has a "voiceless mix" of the tracks. It's interesting to hear the music without the voices. The readings make for a powerful listening experience, but it feels like an entirely different album when you hear the music on its own.

Listening to some of the UDHR's points, it's worrying to reflect on not just how many are not fully in ready use across the globe, but also in modern day, in the civilised western world, how many of them are in danger of being lost.

This is an intricate and reflective work that doesn't disappoint.

10

Darren Rea