Feel Free to Nod Off During This Auckland Arts Festival Show

You're Welcome to Nod Off During This Auckland Arts Festival Show

Busy people with no time to see shows will be delighted to know that at the 2018 Auckland Arts Festival in March there’s one event they can go to in their sleep.

From audacious British composer Max Richter, Sleep is an eight-hour concert designed to be heard overnight, with the audience lying down. Richter has created an exquisite hybrid of classical and electronic music – 31 uninterrupted pieces – to be experienced while in and out of consciousness and lucid dream states.

Performed live throughout the night, Richter’s “personal lullaby for a frenetic world” and arguably the longest classical music work ever recorded, is much more than music to send you to sleep – it is an experience that engulfs people’s dreams before reaching its rousing apotheosis as dawn breaks and sunlight streams into the venue.

Sleep was composed in consultation with neuroscientist David Eagleman and explores the effect of music on subconscious minds. It is, according to Richter, “A manifesto for a slower pace of existence” and “The antithesis of a rave.”

Hailed as the most influential composer of his generation, electro-acoustic polymath Richter defies definition. He is a pianist, producer, remixer and collaborator, and beyond argument one of the most prolific of contemporary musical artists.

Inspired equally by Bach, punk rock and ambient electronica, Richter’s sonic world blends a formal classical training with modern technology. He is a hugely prolific solo artist, yet his vast collaborative output encompasses concert music, operas, ballets, art and video installations, and multiple film, theatre and television scores.

Sleep is a one-off Auckland Arts Festival event taking place on March 16, which happens to also be World Sleep Day, at Shed 10, Queens Wharf.

Concertgoers are provided beds within a special listening area. They bring their own bedding and jim jams.

Also in the 2018 Auckland Arts Festival is Max Richter’s Four Seasons Recomposed – a reinvigorated version of the celebrated classical masterwork, which will be performed in a concert also including Max Richter’s most recent major work Three Worlds - Music from Woolf Works. While in Auckland, Max Richter will also be hosting a workshop for students of music for the screen.

More info at www.aaf.co.nz

SHOW INFORMATION

DATES - Friday 16 March
CREATIVES - Max Richter
TICKETS GA/Conc - $189/$169
LOCATION - Shed 10, Queens Wharf
BOOKINGS - www.aaf.co.nz or ticketmaster.co.nz | 09 951 2501

IMPORTANT INFO Sleep takes place in a large open room with around 400 people on individual camp stretchers able to see and listen to the performance from a stage. The music is performed for about eight hours without any breaks. The concert is designed for people to sleep, snooze and slumber as well as be awake at certain points. There is no one way to experience Sleep.

People are free to move around the venue during the concert provided you do not disturb other people’s experience, view or sound.

Venue doors open at 9:00pm, with access to the Sleeping Area from 10:00pm.Venue doors close at 10:30pm; no late entry, a strict lock out applies. The performance starts at 11:00pm and ends at 7:00am.

Suitable for ages 14+. Those aged 16 years and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Your ticket gets you an unreserved camp stretcher at the venue – first come first served basis. Your bed will not be made up – you should bring a pillow, sleeping bag, duvet or other bedclothes of your choice.

Comfortable clothes are recommended. There will be a cloakroom on site, however there is no specific changing room area so please come prepared to change in the toilet facilities or dressed ready for sleep

Do not bring drinks and food to the venue. Refreshments are available for sale at the event. Alcohol consumption is not permitted, as it can affect sleep cycles and the experience.

There is no eating in the Sleeping Area but water bottles are OK.

Use of mobile phones, cameras or flashes is prohibited, so as not to disturb the performance and sound experience

Wheelchair access available. Patrons who require access assistance or have a sleep disorder should call 09 374 0310 (M-F 9:30am – 5:00pm). Visitwww.aaf.co.nz/access for more information on Access & Inclusion.

No animals allowed (with the exception of authorised guide/companion dogs)

ENDS

ABOUT THE AAF Taking place annually in March, the Auckland Arts Festival is a globally recognised event that celebrates people and culture, and showcases the unrivalled location, cultural diversity and vibrant energy of New Zealand’s largest city.

Over 1.7 million people have attended the event to date.

Auckland Arts Festival is governed by the Auckland Festival Trust. Trustees are John Judge (Chair), Rick Carlyon, Angela Clatworthy, Evan Davies, Sarah Judkins, Tarun Kanji, Margaret Kāwharu MNZM, Jim Moser, Ben Taufua and Fred Ward.

The Executive team includes Chief Executive David Inns and Artistic Director Jonathan Bielski.

The Trust receives core funding from Auckland Council through the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act, and Creative New Zealand through the Toi Tōtara Haemata programme.

Significant support for AAF 2018 is received from Foundation North, Pub Charity, NZ Community Trust and The Lion Foundation.

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