Following the success of his 2012 album Vivaldi Recomposed on the Deutsche Grammophon label, Richter signed many of his previous recordings to DG,[1] including The Blue Notebooks, which was reissued on 29 April 2014.

[4] The album features readings from Franz Kafka's The Blue Octavo Notebooks and Czesław Miłosz's Hymn of the Pearl and Unattainable Earth.

Elsewhere, Richter's string suites are similarly striking; "On the Nature of Daylight" coaxes a stunning rise out of gently provincial arrangements while the comparatively epic penultimate track "The Trees" boasts an extended introductory sequence for what is probably the album's closest brush with grandiosity.

"[13]In 2019, The Guardian writers ranked The Blue Notebooks the 21st greatest work of art music since 2000, with John Lewis praising "On the Nature of Daylight" as a piece in which "ever-expanding layers of strings are used to heart-tugging effect.

"[19] All tracks are written by Max RichterFeatured readings: Credits adapted from The Blue Notebooks: 15 Years Edition interior booklet:[2] ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.