NEW YORK, March 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Composer Max Richter will give the North American debut concert of SLEEP made possible by premiere sponsor Beautyrest® and secondary sponsor Philips on March 12 at SXSW in Austin, TX. Beautyrest mattresses will replace traditional concert seating so attendees can immerse themselves into the eight-hour overnight SLEEP experience. Doors open at 11pm on March 12 at Bass Hall and the concert ends at 8:30AM on March 13. Admission is open to SXSW Platinum and Music badges only.
The landmark work SLEEP was released on Deutsche Grammophon in 2015 to great critical acclaim. The eight-hour long piece is intended to send the listener to sleep; "the music is at times so soft and trance-inducing that you can't help but slip into a relaxed state," commented the Wall Street Journal. Scored for piano, strings, electronics and vocals, it's Richter's "personal lullaby for a frenetic world," he explains, and "a manifesto for a slower pace of existence."
After being performed in Berlin, London, Sydney, Madrid, Zürich, Paris and Amsterdam, SLEEP will finally receive its North American concert premiere at SXSW. Universal Music Group and Brands (UMGB), the brand activation unit of Universal Music Group, brought together top-tier brands to elevate this traditional concert experience.
"One of the most pervasive misconceptions of sleep is that it's simply our bodies 'turning off,'" said Warren Kornblum, interim Chief Marketing Officer, Serta Simmons Bedding. "Together with Max Richter, Beautyrest is celebrating sleep as an active state, when we restore and repair our bodies overnight in order to reach our full potential tomorrow. At Beautyrest we are dedicated to continued innovation and have been researching sleep and developing unparalleled mattress technology for close to 150 years. And we know that only when we achieve optimal sleep can we be our best awake selves."
Following the event, Universal Music Group and Beautyrest will donate all mattresses to local Austin-based charities SAFE and Austin Disaster Relief Network.
Additional experiential enhancements will come courtesy of Philips, a global leader in health technology with nearly 40 years of deep clinical expertise in sleep. "We're particularly interested in what Max has achieved with SLEEP because it aligns with our latest sleep innovations," says Dr. David White, Chief Scientific Officer at Philips. "Sound and tone interventions during the deepest stage of sleep (called slow-wave sleep) have been shown to enhance slow wave activity, leading to better quality sleep and improved daytime alertness. We're making strides in this area of research to continue the advancement of our sleep solutions."
Max Richter stands as one of the most influential figures on the contemporary music scene, producing ground-breaking work as a recording artist, composer, pianist, and collaborator. He is best known for his genre-defining solo albums including The Blue Notebooks, Memoryhouse, Songs From Before, Infra, Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works and the eight-hour epic SLEEP. His 2012 record Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons topped the Classical charts in 22 countries.
Richter has written widely for ballet, opera, and film, his recent projects including Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works for The Royal Ballet, Hostiles, directed by Scott Cooper, Miss Sloane, directed by John Madden, Black Mirror's 'Nosedive' directed by Joe Wright and Taboo for Tom Hardy, which earned him an Emmy nomination. His music is also featured in Damon Lindelof's cult HBO series The Leftovers, Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir and as the opening and end theme in Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-winning film Arrival.
In celebration of "World Sleep Day" on March 16th, SLEEP will be made available for the first time to digital streaming partners. SLEEP is released by the legendary classical label Deutsche Grammophon, which is distributed by Verve Label Group in the United States. The Verve Label Group (VLG), a division of Universal Music Group based in New York City, is home to many of the most acclaimed artists in Jazz and Classical music, while also strongly focused on championing emerging talent across all genres.
About Deutsche Grammophon
One of the most prestigious names in global classical music since its foundation in 1898, Deutsche Grammophon has always stood for the highest standards of artistry and sound quality. Home to the greatest artists of all time, the famous yellow label is a beacon to which music lovers all over the world look for outstanding recordings and interpretations.
About Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC
Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC ("SSB") is the largest distributor and manufacturer of mattresses in the United States. The Atlanta-based company owns and manages two of the largest bedding brands in the mattress industry, Serta®, which has five other independent licensees, and Beautyrest®. The two brands are distributed through national, hospitality, and regional and independent channels throughout North America. SSB also owns Tomorrow™, a direct-to-consumer mattress brand. SSB operates 32 manufacturing plants in the United States, six in Canada and one in Puerto Rico. For more information about SSB and its brands, visit www.sertasimmons.com.
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2017 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 74,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2018 will take place March 9-18, 2018.
SOURCE Composer Max Richter