Max Richter Announces New Album While the Flood Rages

Max Richter has announced his next album, While the Flood Rages, which is scheduled for release on October 16. The project features 15 tracks derived from the German composer's original score for MaddAddam, a ballet production based on Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic novel trilogy. Alongside the announcement, Richter has shared the lead single, "Now We Can Sing," which is available to stream now.

The upcoming release functions as a standalone body of work that addresses several contemporary global concerns. The music explores themes of ecological crisis, the acceleration of technology, and the persistence of human connection. These motifs are drawn directly from the narrative world of the literary trilogy, which served as the foundation for the choreography in the MaddAddam stage production.

While the complete tracklist has not yet been made public, the lead single has been described as a meditative and reflective piece. The project follows Richter's established pattern of adapting stage scores into independent musical releases, similar to how other artists like Kings of Leon announce 10th album ‘O My Beloved’ and new single to expand their discographies.

While the Flood Rages represents the third major collaboration between Richter and choreographer Wayne McGregor. The duo previously worked together on the 2017 project Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works and the 2010 release Infra. This latest effort continues their long-term creative partnership in blending contemporary classical music with modern dance and literary adaptation.

Richter has maintained a high level of productivity in recent years. His solo catalog includes the 2024 album In a Landscape and the 2022 reimagining The New Four Seasons - Vivaldi Recomposed. His earlier work, such as the eight-hour composition Sleep, continues to receive critical recognition and was recently included in a list of the best ambient albums of all time by Pitchfork. Further details on the new release were also reported by NME.