Ludovico Einaudi

Every day on Classic FM Drive, I like to pick out a piece of music that I think sets the mind whirring. It’s my piece of music to take you places, thanks to Honda.

Each week, we will explore one of these composers in more detail. This week it's time to shine the spotlight on Ludovico Einaudi.

Biography

Born in Turin, Italy, the well-connected young Ludovico's grandfather was President of Italy and his father ran his own publishing company. His mother, who taught him the piano as a child, was perhaps one of his earliest musical influences in his life.

As an adult, Einaudi decided to take up music as his career, studying first at Milan’s prestigious Conservatorio Verdi and then with the renowned Italian composer, Luciano Berio.

Music

Einaudi’s musical influences are wide-ranging, from J.S Bach through Mozart and Chopin to Manuel de Falla in the classical sphere and from The Beatles through Bob Dylan to U2 and Radiohead in the world of pop and rock.

He has composed for cinema, theatre and dance, with his work being performed around the world at major venues including Teatro alla Scala, The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, The Tanglewood Festival and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

Although he is well-known across Europe, his music has achieved especially strong popularity in the UK where he is now among the most requested composers on Classic FM.

Einaudi has spent recent years performing his last album Divenire in Europe, US and Japan.

His new album 'Nightbook' was released on Decca Records on 5 October 2009.

Discography

2009 - Nightbook

2007 - Divenire

2006 - Diario Mali

2004 - Una Mattina
La Scala Concert
Echoes: The Einaudi Collection

2002 - I Giorni

1999 - Eden Roc

1996 - Le Onde

1997 - Stanze