Einaudiwas 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]
After studying at the conservatory in Milan and subsequently with Berio, Einaudi spent several years composing in traditional forms, including several chamber and orchestral pieces.[10] He soon garnered international attention and his music was performed at venues such as the Teatro alla Scala, the Tanglewood Music Festival, Lincoln Center, and the UCLA Center for Performing Arts.[11]
Einaudi began using his style to compose film soundtracks in the mid-1990s. He started with two films by Michele Sordillo, Da qualche parte in citt in 1994 and Acquario in 1996, for which he won the Grolla d'oro for best soundtrack. In 1998, he composed the soundtrack for Treno di panna and the score for Giorni dispari by Dominick Tambasco.[12]
In 2000, he collaborated with Antonello Grimaldi on Un delitto impossibile, and he also composed the soundtrack for Fuori del mondo, for which he won the Echo Klassik award in Germany in 2002.[12][better source needed] After the release of his debut album, some excerpts were included in the film Aprile by Nanni Moretti.[12] In 2002, his soundtrack for Luce dei miei occhi was named best soundtrack at the 2002 Italian Music Awards.[12]
In 2002, Einaudi won an Italian award for Best Film Score for Luce dei miei occhi.[10] AllMusic gave his score for the 2002 TV serial Doctor Zhivago 4.5/5 stars and published a glowing review, comparing it in skill to Maurice Jarre's score of the previous film adaptation.[13]
After the multi-media-inspired Time Out in 1988, in 1992 he released Stanze, which he had composed for harp. The album was performed by Cecilia Chailly, one of the first musicians to use an electric harp. Einaudi released his first solo piano album, Le Onde, in 1996, under BMG. The album is based on the novel The Waves by British writer Virginia Woolf, and enjoyed mainstream success, particularly in Italy and the UK.[12] His 1999 followup, Eden Roc, was also released on BMG, with shorter pieces. For the project he collaborated with the Armenian duduk musician Djivan Gasparyan.[12]
His next solo piano release, I Giorni (2001), was inspired by his travels in Africa.[12] The solo piano track "I Giorni" was featured in a BBC promotion for arts and culture programs,[16] and attracted much interest due to Greg James' airing of the piece on BBC Radio 1 in June 2011. James mentioned that he found the piece therapeutic when he was studying at university.[17] Due to repeated airings that month, the track entered the UK Singles Chart at #32 on 12 June 2011.[18]
In 2003, Einaudi released the live album La Scala Concert 03.03.03, which was recorded at the famous La Scala opera house in Milan. His 2003 album Diario Mali is another collaboration, with Einaudi on piano and Malian musician Ballak Sissoko on kora. In 2004, Einaudi released the album Una Mattina on Decca Records.[12] The 2006 album Divenire consists of piano accompanied by orchestra. The album also includes the artist's critically acclaimed track "Primavera." It was recorded by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, with Einaudi as the piano master. Shortly after its release, Einaudi went on tour to various places in the UK, playing both the music on Divenire and orchestral arrangements of his other works. The album topped the iTunes classical chart.[1]
In October 2009, Nightbook was released. The album saw Einaudi take a new direction with his music as he incorporated synthesized sounds alongside his piano.[10] The album was conceived and recorded in response to the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, as well as an exhibit space where Einaudi performed for a gallery opening for Kiefer. It was also inspired by the drums and electronics of the Whitetree Project, a performing trio Einaudi formed with Robert and Ronald Lippok of To Rococo Rot, a German electronic group.[7] In Italy, the album went Gold with more than 35,000 copies sold.
Einaudi's album In a Time Lapse was released on 21 January 2013,[19] with US and Canadian supporting tours. He also appeared on KCRW in Los Angeles.[20] On 17 September 2013, Einaudi performed various songs from In a Time Lapse, together with a new ensemble, at the annual iTunes Festival held at the Roundhouse in London. The group intimately rehearsed this performance in the barn of Einaudi's house.[21] In March 2016, the world premiere of a new piano concerto, "Domino", took place at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.[22]
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God, I'm so glad more people are discovering Einaudi. He's touched my life so much since I discovered him about 5 years ago. Let's hope this starts getting played more often instead of the usual naffness. Nice one Greg!
I will download this to get it into the chart. Having the album on my all time playlist to hear it on the chart show would be excellent. But if you want the classical buffs like me to buy it, tell us how to get downloads
We still buy CDs and go to concerts....
so downloading to a computer is new territory. spell it out!
trevor fisher
this peice of music holds so many nice thoughts and memories for me, thank you for playing this on your show and letting people who would not normaly listen to this experience something new and wonderful
Greg, my Fiance got me to listen to the piece as we are looking for music for our wedding later this year. After only one listen the emotion of the song is clear that we are going to use it, I will be walking down the aisle to it.
Thank you for playing this on your show, if you hadnt we would have never have heard its beauty.
I was driving in my car today and was touched to here the beautiful and moving 'I Giorni' it took me straight to our wedding day 8 years ago as it was used in our wedding video, until this day I have always wondered what is was called and where I could get a copy, thank you so much for getting it out there, it would be amazing to get into to the Top 10 as its simplicity and depth is just beautiful.
Einaudi on Radio 1 I never would have imagined but his music is so moving I am a massive fan. The first album I bought of his was Divenire which is still my favourite of all his albums and I recommend "Oltremare" off that album but "I Giorni" is also a beautiful track. Einaudi has been my continuous music choice for my revision over the past month and I'm so glad to hear the track and Einaudi has been getting a good reaction and the recognition his music deserves
I have every album by Einaudi - his music is beautiful. And if I ever need to just get lost within the world of music, it's Einaudi's music I listen to.
Le Onde and Divenire are my most listened to albums ever.
Stunning music.
Greg, this song blew me away while i was driving in the sunshine earlier, i was mesmerized by how beautiful it was! Made me forget about any worries i had, and for those 6minutes it was on for i was in another world. Thank you so much for introducing so many people at the time you played it to something so breathtakingly different and beautiful, so hope this makes the chart and i cant wait to find more of his work!! Thanks, Abbi
thank you thank you thank you . I have now spent money on 4 albums on a certain site in a rain forest because of you . I am now addicted to this fella and his piano! but a bloody big thanks for sharing this as i would never had known i liked this music CHEERS GREG YOU STAR!
So glad that people are getting the chance to here this guy's music. Loved it for the last four years now and seen him live a few times. He played with a string section at the Royal Albert Hall in February 2010 and it was absolutely unforgettiable....strings added so much depth to his music. It was recorded and is sold on CD - buy it!
Just want to say a massive thank you for playing this on friday, only getting to a pc now to get registered on here.
I discovered ludovico einaudi about 6 years ago when i accidentally kicked my younger brothers cd player (it was lying in the middle of the floor) the cd started playing and i was hooked right away.
Such a beautiful piece of music, when i heard it it brought a smile to my face and made my drive home so much nicer :)
First heard LE on Classic FM playing "Melodia Africana III" when it was released, and I was immediately hooked. The album (Echoes) is just so calming and is my album of choice when flying. I Giorni (The Days) is beautiful, but take a listen to Giorni Dispari (Odd Days), and I guarantee you will be downloading the album before the track finishes.
Great to see an artist and track like this mixed in with the trash that poisons our music culture. Maybe this is a beginning of a change?
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