Max Richter Releases ‘While The Flood Rages’
The Decca release draws on his third major collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor.
Max Richter has released his new album, While The Flood Rages, via Decca Records. The composer will mark its arrival with listening events in six cities, alongside a companion crossword book that brings together puzzles and newly commissioned essays exploring the work’s themes.
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The album draws from Richter’s score for Wayne McGregor’s ballet MaddAddam, inspired by Margaret Atwood’s trilogy of the same name. A co-commission between the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Opera House, the ballet marked Richter and McGregor’s third major collaboration, following Infra and Woolf Works. The project was originally developed before the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed its progress. Years in the making, the music engages with ecological crisis, technological acceleration, and human connection, themes that carry through to the accompanying book.
For the crossword book, Richter commissioned contributions from literary critic and English professor Anahid Nersessian and philosopher and author Victoria Trumbull. Their essays explore themes within the work. A limited number of physical copies will be available through independent bookstores around the world. Members of Richter’s community will also have access to a digital edition, together with a space to share their thoughts and discuss the album as they listen.
The listening events begin October 16 at Public Records in New York, followed by Friendly Pressure in London on October 17 and Book Bar in Paris on October 21. Two events take place on October 22, at KOMFY in Seoul and TOH in Tokyo, before the series concludes at Pastiche in Berlin on October 23. The gatherings accompany the album’s release across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Richter is also an Album Champion for the UK’s National Album Day on October 17, 2026. The event celebrates the art of the album, coinciding with the London listening event during the opening weekend of While The Flood Rages.
