Ludovico Einaudi

Ludovico Einaudi, Italian pianist and composer, master of impressive, dreamy and magical music, author of soundtracks for films such as The Untouchables, Samba and Land of the Nomads, will perform on 29 May at the O₂ universum in Prague Live, he will present a new album called The Summer Portraits, which is “dedicated to all our summers and all our beautiful moments.” The thirteen-track record draws on personal memories triggered by the sun, summer, holidays with family and a recent return to Turin, the city where he spent his childhood With a full line-up of backing musicians, Einaudi returns in style to 2013’s In A Time Lapse, offering a richer sonic palette than recent solo albums This is evidenced by the concert band lineup – two percussionists, cello, violin, accordion, keyboard and bass The Summer Portraits album, which features music videos Rose Bay, Punta Bianca and Pathos, is due out January 31, 2025 on Universal Records Tickets for the show, which is seated, will go on sale at Ticketmaster and Ticketportal from 19 December, 10am The concert is organised by Charmenko Agency.

The Summer Portraits album is a cycle of songs in which the personal becomes universal Last year, Einaudi and his family rented a villa on the Italian island of Elba, set in a pine forest He discovered that the house was decorated with thirty or forty impressive oil paintings that were clearly painted by the same hand. He discovered that they were done by a woman from Rome who had owned the house for several years and painted new scenes every summer. “Everyone has their own version of summer portraits,” says Einaudi “I started creating my own paintings with music So this album is dedicated to all our summers, all our beautiful moments.” The oil paintings that gave the title to the solo piano meditation Oil on Wood are emblematic of Einaudi’s impressionistic approach to music – each stroke is carefully chosen, the impressive moods created by something fragile

A return to personal memories, summer, sun, sea is illustrated by the recent video for Rose Bay, which consists of intimate footage of childhood holidays When Ludovico was seven or eight years old, he spent them in Bocca di Magra near the coast in northern Tuscany. The title of the piece itself then refers to the suburb of Sydney where Einaudi’s grandfather Wando Aldrovandi emigrated in the 1930s, unwilling to play for the Italian fascist government Memories of these trips also inspired a song called Punta Bianca Maria Callas, for a change, is Einaudi’s first composition inspired by a famous figure – his mother’s favourite, whose singing poured from the gramophone in their holiday home.

Einaudi’s long-time collaborators Federico Mecozzi on violin and viola, Redi Hasa on cello and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Arcuri recorded almost all of the album’s tracks Several of the pieces feature guest appearances by French virtuoso Theótime Langlois de Swarte, and these were recorded at Abbey Road studios along with orchestral parts performed by the string section of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London under the baton of Robert Ames Many of the songs, however, were better suited to Einaudi’s home studio at Dogliani, with its tight acoustics and more personal atmosphere.

With nine billion plays a year, Ludovico Einaudi is one of the most streamed classical artists. He has released numerous successful albums, sold out the most prestigious venues around the world and is the award-winning composer of many film scores Born in 1955 in Turin “I have always considered this city a place I would never return to. It was very grey, very industrial – I felt like I was in a cage,” he laughs. In his youth he was drawn to Milan and by the age of 18 Einaudi was already studying composition at the Verdi Conservatory there under the guidance of experimental music pioneer Luciano Berio Now, at 68, he has a different relationship with his birthplace “It‘s a special place, in a way very poetic. The soul of the people is more hidden They don’t put things on show – you have to find the dynamics within yourself…,” he says It’s not unusual for Einaudi to write songs during soundchecks and preparations; touring is a form of vacation for him “You’re always running away and no one can catch you; you never feel trapped. Composing is unconscious and can’t be planned – he records songs on his phone, then recreates them with the band.

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