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.
