Ludovico Einaudi makes history with UK’s fastest-streaming classical album

28 January 2022, 18:00

Ludovico Einaudi - 'Elegy for the Arctic'

By Sophia Alexandra Hall

Einaudi is the most-streamed classical artist of all time, and has now topped the UK’s classical music charts as a composer.

Italian composer and pianist, Ludovico Einaudi, has had a record-breaking week.

The 66-year-old musician released his first solo piano album in 20 years, Underwater, on Friday 21 January, and it has sailed straight to the top of the UK Classical Chart, making it his 11th Classical No.1 record, and landed him at No.19 on the mainstream chart. Underwater is now the fastest-streamed classical album of all time.

Released by Decca, the album contains 12 newly-composed solo piano tracks showcasing the minimalist composer’s unmistakable musical style.

“It came naturally, more than ever before,” said Einaudi on his new album. “I felt a sense of freedom to abandon myself and let the music flow differently. I didn’t have a filter between me and what came out of the piano; it felt very pure.

“The title Underwater is a metaphor – it is an expression of a very fluid dimension, without interference from outside.”

Ludovico Einaudi - Underwater Live from Home

As well as having the fastest-streamed classical album, Einaudi is also the highest-streamed classical artist of all time.

His Spotify monthly listening now totals more than Mozart, or Beethoven’s.

Trained at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, and Tanglewood Festival, Einaudi was mentored by notable classical composers including Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luciano Berio.

He subsequently developed his own style, and his music can be heard everywhere from Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning films, to TikTok.

Einaudi’s 2013 track, Experience, recently went viral as a ‘sound’ on the short-form video platform, with accounts using the piece to ‘soundtrack their life’ (see below). It subsequently reached No.14 on the Global TikTok Chart at the end of last year, with 7 million users soundtracking their life to the piece.

Co-Presidents of Decca Records, Laura Monks and Tom Lewis commented on the success of Einaudi’s new album saying, “We are thrilled that audiences all around the world and now on so many different platforms engage in such a significant way with Ludovico’s music.

“His ability to compose pieces that immediately create emotional reaction and connection is unparalleled. ‘Underwater’ is a beautiful album that I am sure will transport many people to a place of tranquillity and calm.”

Underwater is available to stream now on all major platforms and is Classic FM’s current Album of the Week.