Max Bill Maillart

Ad Astra, a sci-fi thriller set in the future, stars Brad Pitt as an elite astronaut who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos. Max Richter’s score, informed by detailed conversations with Brad Pitt and the film’s director James Gray, combines strings, electronics and vocals creating an epic soundscape underpinning the emotional power and scale of the movie. His soundtrack has been described as “a stunning kind of symphony” by Vanity Fair. Max Richter first began composing the music for Ad Astra almost two years ago, in the initial phase of the film’s production.

Accardo's performances are nothing short of spectacular, and (the late) Kurt Masur and the Gewandhaus's performances never disappoint. Most classical audiophiles may be familiar only with Bruch's first violin concerto and the "Scottish Fantasy," but there are two more wonderful violin concertos, a Romance, a Konzertstuck, a Serenade, a piece entitled "Adagio Appassionato" and a piece that was new to me, "In Memoriam," a very beautiful and moving composition that is the last band on the last record.