Ludovico Einaudi - A Rough Guide

   "Ludovico Einaudi (born 23 November 1955) is an Italian pianist and
   composer. After training at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan and
   under composer Luciano Berio in the early 1980s, Einaudi started
   his career as a classical composer and soon began incorporating
   other styles and genres, including pop, rock, world music, and
   folk music."
   "Einaudi composed the scores for a number of films and trailers,
   including The Intouchables, I'm Still Here, Doctor Zhivago, and
   Acquario in 1996, for which he won the Grolla d'oro for best
   soundtrack. He has also released a number of solo albums of
   piano and orchestra, notably I Giorni in 2001, Nightbook in 2009,
   and In a Time Lapse in 2013." [Wikipedia]
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovico_einaudi>

   I’ve hastily put this guide together as he is touring Australia right
   now, playing in Adelaide on Tuesday. Here's his official website:
     <http://www.ludovicoeinaudi.com/>

   The links in the guide below are to movies on YouTube.  If the links
   are blocked, try this Spotify playlist (if you have an account):
     <https://play.spotify.com/user/bru.and/playlist/3keQjY3fRNCD5CCQgzhcA4>

   Now, the "rough guide". On a different day, I probably would have
   selected different tracks. I've had to leave out collaborations and
   soundtracks.

   1. Album: "Le onde" ("The waves") (1996)
   Track 12: "Passaggio" ("Way")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rWgZiSF30c>
   Wonderful solo piano piece. Other highlights include the title track,
   "Le onde", "Ombre" and "Questa notte".

   2. Album: "Eden Roc" (1999)
   Track 8: "Giorni dispari" ("Odd days")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95N-SSuPHRg>
   Mostly just piano and haunting cello. Also check out the title track,
   "Eden Roc", the contemplative "Nefeli", and the jazzy "Julia".

   3. Album: "I giorni" ("The days") (2001)
   Track 5: "Stella della mattina" ("Morning star") (Live version,
             Royal Albert Hall, with string section)
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZDfOkDZ8cQ>
   Track 9: "La nascita delle cose segrete" ("The birth of secrets")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHUQCx969m8>
   Other standouts include the achingly beautiful tracks "I due fiumi"
   and "I giorni".

   4. Album: "Una mattina" ("A morning") (2004)
   Track 2: "Ora" ("Now")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkAQ2LzG3nw>
   Track 12: "Nuvole bianche" ("White clouds")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcihcYEOeic&t=0m10s>
   Two other great tracks open and close the album:  "Una mattina" and
   the 12 minute epic, "Ancora".

   5. "Divenire" ("Becoming") (2007)
   Track 2: "Divenire" (Live at Royal Albert Hall with string section)
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DRDcGlSsE>
   Track 6: "Primavera" ("Spring")
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmxFAT581T4>
   Both these tracks build slowly and then accompanied by strings with
   dramatic effect. There are many other great tracks on this album,
   including the hypnotic "Fly" and "L'origine nascosta" ("Hidden
   motives"). On this album Einaudi experimented with electronic keyboards.

   6. "Nightbook" (2009)
   Track 2: "Lady Labyrinth"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq1hPXJPtto>
   Track 4: "Indaco"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhBmb9Y0puo>
   This album has a darker, haunting tone. Some tracks are backed by
   percussion instruments, such as "Lady Labyrinth" and the great title
   track "Nightbook”. Other highlights include "In principio", "Eros" and
   "The Planets".

   7. "In a Time Lapse" (2013)
   Track 3: "Life"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZpD4YeYl08>
   Track 14: "Burning"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIf2OXtDhhQ>
   The latest release, including these two pieces of pure bliss. Other
   standouts include "Time Lapse", "Walk", "Experience" and "Waterways".

   There are many other videos on YouTube, including some great live
   performances.

Micro-Reviews of Books Read, January 2014

   Reviews of books read last month: a novel, three novellas, and a
   non-fiction book.


   1. "Angelmaker" by Nick Harkaway
     <http://www.amazon.com/Angelmaker/dp/0307743624>

   Joe Spork, single and in his late thirties, barely makes a living
   repairing mechanical devices from a bygone era. Most of the things
   he fixes are harmless, but one day he unwittingly reassembles a
   doomsday device for a client. The "Angelmaker", among other things,
   distorts time and compels people to tell the truth. This triggers
   panic among world leaders. It also plays into the hands of an evil
   despot, Shem Shem Tsien (the Opium King), who seems to have cheated
   death in his quest to "become God".

   After learning that he may be responsible for the end of the world,
   Spork teams up with a female octogenarian and former superspy to
   thwart Tsien's plans. He enlists his late father's former colleagues,
   both criminal and legitimate. Together they have to deal with shady
   secret government agents and the Order of Ruskinites before they can
   confront Tsien. Along the way, Spork finds the love of his life and
   some inconvenient truths about his family: the double-life of his
   paternal grandmother and the real motivation for his father's
   criminal career.

   This novel mostly succeeds in blending espionage, gangsters and
   science fiction, with a dash of humour. My only major criticism is
   that the ending of this swash-buckling thriller seemed a bit
   contrived. Overall, I enjoyed this book, although not as much as
   the author's first novel, "The Gone-Away World".


   2. "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson
     <http://www.amazon.com/The-Strange-Case-Jekyll-Hyde/dp/149228856X>

   Having seeing several movies and TV shows based on this classic
   Victorian novel, I never felt the need to read the original. As it
   happens, Stevenson's novella is a bit different to how the story
   has been portrayed on screen. In addition the dual nature of the
   individual comprising the title characters, the novella considers
   the events from two viewpoints. Firstly, there is the account by
   Jekyll's friend and attorney, Utterson. The developing relationship
   between the doctor and the objectionable Mr Hyde has troubled
   Utterson. Why has the respected Jekyll given Hyde unfettered access
   to his home and laboratory, even going so far as naming him as his
   sole beneficiary? When Hyde is linked with assaults and a murder,
   Utterson feels duty-bound to warn Jekyll to sever his ties with
   Hyde. The doctor gets a chance to explain his side of the story in
   the final chapter.

   This story examines the internal struggles between good and evil in
   all of us, using the emergence of pharmaceuticals to take the idea
   to extremes.


   3. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
     <http://www.amazon.com/The-Giver/dp/B00AHG3UYA>

   This story is set in a future where there is no war, no suffering
   and no disease. All aspects of society and life are carefully planned.
   Children gain additional privileges, responsibilities and toys, at
   specified annual milestones. When they reach twelve years old, their
   lives so far are assessed and their future roles in the Community are
   assigned. For example, if a child shows skill and aptitude for
   building things, he or she will be groomed as an engineer. Someone
   who is good with younger children might be trained as a teacher. But
   the Community is not the utopia it appears to be: people are
   constantly medicated to avoid pain; feelings are suppressed and
   unpleasant memories are erased to maintain emotional stability;
   euphemisms are used to cover up euthanasia and death. Everyone
   experiences a comfortable "sameness", sacrificing colour, music and
   love.

   Jonas, the main character, has demonstrated some special skills, and
   is assigned the important role of the "Receiver of Memory". He will
   be trained by the "Giver", and become the sole repository of
   emotional memories for the Community. Later, in times of crisis or
   when difficult decisions need to be made, he may be called on to
   provide advice by drawing from that memory. Once Jonas becomes aware
   of what really is happening in the Community, he decides to rebel.

   This novella is generally considered a young adult's book, but the
   themes are challenging and universal enough for any reader. It
   reminded me a bit of Brave New World, focussing on children growing
   up in an apparent utopia. The author has written sequels which
   further explore the themes in this book.


   4. "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
     <http://www.amazon.com/Cannery-Row/dp/014200068X>

   The opening lines set the scene: "Cannery Row in Monterey in
   California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light,
   a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered
   and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped
   pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of
   corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and
   little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses."

   Everybody loves Doc, a marine biologist who prepares exhibits for
   various museums around the country. He's done lots of little things
   to help his fellow inhabitants of Cannery Row: Lee Chong, a Chinese
   immigrant, runs the local grocery; Dora Flood is owner/operator of
   an establishment called the Bear Flag Restaurant, which is actually
   the local whorehouse; Mack is a middle-aged layabout and leader of
   "the boys", who try to do as little work as possible so they enjoy
   the good things in life. Mack suggests they all throw a party at
   Doc's place. But despite good intentions, things take a farcical
   turn, when gatecrashers arrive, fights break out, and Doc's place
   gets trashed. The people of Cannery Row decide to make amends by
   preparing a surprise birthday for Doc, but will they learn from
   their mistakes?

   This was an enjoyable look at life, friendship and simple pleasures
   in working class America in the 1930s.


   5. "You Are Not So Smart" by David McRaney
     <http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Not-So-Smart/dp/1592407366>

   Using research in psychology, cognition and neuroscience, the author
   explains why we often make irrational decisions. The book contains
   are 48 brief chapters, each examining one particular way we delude
   ourselves. Examples include: Priming (our unconscious minds are
   easily influenced by certain words and situations), Confirmation bias
   (we tend to focus on things that confirm our beliefs rather than
   consider evidence that challenges them), Hindsight bias (we look back
   on things we've just learned and assume we knew or believed them all
   along), Groupthink, Conformity, the Dunning-Kruger Effect (we're bad
   at estimating our competency and the difficulty of a task), the
   Bystander Effect, and Learned Helplessness. The author presents the
   results of many pivotal studies and experiments that helped verify
   our various cognitive biases and delusions.

   If you're interested in this subject matter, I recommend you listen
   to the author's podcast, named after the book:
     <http://youarenotsosmart.com/podcast/>

   Overall, this is a great introduction to cognitive and evolutionary
   psychology, exposing the many foibles of our minds. We're not as
   smart as we think we are. But that's ok, we're only human. I look
   forward to reading the follow-up, "You Are Now Less Dumb".