Einaudi 10 Pieces

[Billi Plancarte]

Einaudi (b. 1955) studied with Stockhausen and Berio. His early period tended towards neo-classicism (in the original sense of the word) and the avant garde. though unfortunately it is difficult to find examples of most of these works. An admirer of the traditional music of various cultures, he also cites as inspirations composers who shared that same interest (Stravinsky, Prokfiev and Bartk), as well as pop and rock musicians of the 20th century.

Apostate though he is, Einaudi is clearly a more accomplished musician than he is given credit for. Einaudi describes his very early work as interesting but having left him cold, though in a more recent interview he expressed nostalgia for the experimental process. In 1992, he began to embrace minimalism more fully with his album for solo electric harp, Stanze. Further exploration of this language resulted in his score for the ballet, Salgari (1995), including this piece and this piece, which may sound familiar to the attentive fan (Orbits, and La Linea Scura, respectively).

Moto perpetuo is deceptively tricky, requiring rhythmic precision, a fair amount of stamina, and the relaxed touch that comes with good technique. Semi-quavers quickly alternate between hands throughout, which could easily quickly reveal tension problems, and occasional rhythmic displacements between sections will require attention. A version with expanded instrumentation was released on a rarity by the name of Ultima Fuochi (1998). Anybody interested in taking on this piece may wish to listen to that, as well as the truncated solo harp recording found on the original album. I would suggest this to a more advanced student, but it could be managed at a more relaxed tempo by an intermediate student.

Vega is not quite as difficult but has an exciting climax as melodic fragments featured throughout the piece are layered with increasing intensity. This track features some interesting rhythms and speedy hand crossings, and requires dynamic control to distinguish between the different fragments without going overboard. I would place this as suitable for players in the Grade 6-7 region but again, played slower, it would be more accessible (though also much less effective).

Le onde is another album which I recommend looking at in its entirety, but I will recommend three pieces. Questa notte is a fun, dynamic piece which helped me to develop strength and wrist control when I very first started playing (this song was my motivation to take up the piano and one of the first pieces I learned so I have a very soft spot for it). The final pre-chorus features a fast 9 against 6, paving the way in the long term for something like Fantaisie Impromptu, which requires rhythmic independence of the hands. Suitable for intermediate players.

Moving onto Eden Roc (1999), Un mondo a parte, one of my favourite pieces by Einaudi, features a beautifully crafted cantabile melody over some simple yet effective chromatic harmony. Students will have to deal with some fragmented phrasing between sections and will need to transition effectively out of the forte climax which dies away prematurely to a pianissimo. Intermediate difficulty.

The Crane Dance goes down well with students. A suitable piece for the dedicated adult beginner, they may wish to look beyond the notated score in order to emulate the electronic delay effect during the sparse middle section of the recording.

Golden Butterflies (Seven Days Walking, 2018) is my choice from his latest album. It will likely embody most of the things that critics of Einaudi dislike but I love the dancing melody, which students will need to focus on keeping light, with enough dynamic variation between the repeated notes so as to not feel like the melody is one long phrase.

Frances Wilson is a classically-trained pianist, piano teacher and writer on pianism and classical music. She holds Licentiate and Associate Diplomas (both with Distinction) in Piano Performance, and is now based in West Dorset where she teaches from her home in Portland

Discover our selection of the most beautiful pieces by Ludovico Einaudi to play on the piano. You can find all the sheet music for these pieces, with the fingering, on the Tomplay app, and on the website!

Ludovico Einaudi became famous thanks to his light and rhythmic music. Recognized as one of the best composers of our time, the work of this Italian pianist (born in Turin) has delighted a loyal and ever-growing audience for over twenty years.

He has risen to the top by creating many albums in a variety of styles from classical to electronic music, playing to sold-out venues in the world's most famous concert halls, and writing award-winning film music. His compositions are meditative and often introspective.

It was his mother who introduced him to the piano when he was young. His father, Giulio Einaudi, is the publisher and founder of the Einaudi publishing house, and his grandfather, Luigi Einaudi, was President of Italy from 1948 to 1955.

In 1982, Ludovico Einaudi graduated in composition from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in Milan. He then received a scholarship to the Tanglewood Festival in the United States and continued his musical studies with the composer Luciano Berio.

After spending several years composing the traditional way, in 1986 he began to search for a freer and more personal musical language. It was in the 1990s that his career took off with his first successful recording, Le Onde.

While the piece is written in F minor, the harmonies move between major and minor. Along with the layers of rhythmic texture, we can really imagine nuvole bianche (white clouds) moving across the sky.

In June 2016, Ludovico Einaudi teamed up with Greenpeace to perform a concert in the Arctic Circle in order to support a campaign for a marine sanctuary in the international waters of the North Pole, and to raise awareness about melting glaciers and rising sea levels.

He first performed Elegy for the Arctic, a song composed especially for the occasion, on a floating platform in the Arctic Ocean in front of the Wahlenbergbreen glacier in Svalbard, an archipelago in Norway. "Playing there, it felt like I was playing for the gods," he said.

The composer's performance is accompanied by the sound of ice blocks breaking and falling into the water. This marked a magical yet solemn moment for the campaign, which was designed to protect one of the most endangered places on the planet (which we all depend on).

Play the piano sheet music for Elegy for the Arctic with Tomplay, available for solo piano. Take advantage of the professional recording of the piece, synchronized with the sheet music, to listen to simply for pleasure or for inspiration!

In 2006, Ludovico Einaudi released his most ambitious and best-selling album to date: Divenire. In it, the composer brought together many musical styles and enhanced them with the help of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a range of digital effects.

Performing with the orchestra in those spectacular surroundings was an extremely intense experience. I felt as if I were in a stream tumbling down a mountainside, not only immersed in it but an actual part of that unstoppable rush of water (...). Since that experience, I have done many other things, but have always thought that sooner or later I would develop the idea and expand it."

The album became a phenomenon upon its release, topping the classical music charts across Europe and taking the Italian pop charts by storm. Einaudi then embarked on his largest tour to date, with eighty concerts across Europe, finishing off with his unforgettable performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Divenire, the main piece of this album, is one of his most beautiful compositions. It is a whirlwind piece of energy and emotion, which naturally rises and falls continuously. It captivates us without ever making us lose interest in the story that the notes tell.

Divenire opens with a simple melody in the right hand, supported by an orchestral ostinato in the left. Once again, Einaudi uses minimalism to create the driving energy of the piece. The chords develop into repeated but enriched motifs, until the dramatic and introspective ending.

Play the piano sheet music for Divenire with Tomplay, available for solo piano. Make the most of the separate hands feature to practice with one hand, accompanied by the high-quality recording of the other hand.

Una Mattina is another famous composition by Einaudi that can be heard in the film The Intouchables. It is part of the 2004 album of the same name, released prior to Divenire, and includes pieces for piano and cello.

This piece is played in the last scene of the film, a marvelous accompaniment to an intense and moving moment. The composition begins with a consistent rhythm, which is very typical of Einaudi, followed by an expressive melody in the right hand.

Experience was released in 2013 on the album In a Time Lapse. Two days before its release, Einaudi performed some of the album's tracks, including Experience, live from his home in Milan for his YouTube channel.

When examining the piece, we can see the build-up of power in the music: after a short introduction, the melody slowly develops in the right hand. Semi-quavers then appear in both hands, which contribute to the grandeur of the piece. After a short break, the energetic rhythm of the composition takes over.

Einaudi was born in Turin, Piedmont.[4] His father, Giulio Einaudi, was a publisher[5] working with authors including Italo Calvino and Primo Levi, and founder of Giulio Einaudi Editore.[6] His paternal grandfather, Luigi Einaudi, was President of Italy between 1948 and 1955. His mother, Renata Aldrovandi, played the piano to him as a child.[7] Her father, Waldo Aldrovandi, was a pianist, opera conductor, and composer who emigrated to Australia after World War II.[5]

Einaudi started composing music as a teenager, first writing by playing a folk guitar.[8] He began his musical training at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, obtaining a diploma in composition in 1982.[9] That same year he took an orchestration class taught by Luciano Berio and was awarded a scholarship to the Tanglewood Music Festival.[10] According to Einaudi, "[Luciano Berio] did some interesting work with African vocal music and did some arrangements of Beatles songs, and he taught me that there is a sort of dignity inside music. I learnt orchestration from him and a very open way of thinking about music."[1][8] He also learned by collaborating with musicians such as Ballak Sissoko from Mali and Djivan Gasparyan from Armenia.[8] His music is ambient, meditative, and often introspective, drawing on minimalism and contemporary pop.[10]

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