Ludovico Einaudi brings world-class soundtracks to the modern generation of classical listeners

It’s the opening night of Einaudi’s back to back shows to preview music from his upcoming album The Summer Portraits – a phenomenal package of expansive soundscapes and orchestral bliss.

"Sad music touches me more than a happy song. I think that when there’s an elusiveness in what you hear, it leaves you the space to think, to actively be a part of the moment that you are connecting with”, Einaudi admits in our Nine Songs interview some years ago. Now, witnessing his masterful compositions in the flesh adds another dimension of realism and relatability to this idea. Backed by the Rimini Classica String Ensemble, his biggest hits such as "I Giorni," "Nuvole Bianche," "Fly," and "Experience" take flight and soar to new heights, interspersed with work from the new record. Powered by sweeping violins, cello, accordion, keys, percussion and bass, the tracks adopt a whole new realm and swell to fill the air for the subsequent two hour-long set.

From start to finish, and supported by a meditative opening set by blues composer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Alessandro “Asso” Stefana, it’s a lesson in finding the importance of space, taking hold of what resonates and endlessly plucking at heartstrings. Expansive soundscapes encompass the Palladium, giving justice to the depth and richness of the delicate narratives Einaudi repeatedly crafts alongside a sea of glorious, euphoric orchestral crescendos. It also serves as a reminder of how live music should be, with a phone-free zone in operation that reconnects the audience to the performance.

When witnessing it live, you have greater access to the intricacies of the stories unravelling behind the main focus melody; Redi Hasa’s cello at times takes the helm and offers lightheartedness in the narrative, an infectious beam radiating from the cellist’s endless grin, while Franscesco Arcuri’s percussion adds a touch of ominous shade and ruminative mystery. Unlike Einaudi’s statement on emptiness to ponder, as the orchestra swells with intensity to crescendo the room is entirely full, the air thick with trills of rich talent, a canvas for the mastery of the instruments onstage.

Tonight at the historic Palladium, it's a masterclass in clear, emotive storytelling from the most-streamed classical pianist of all time. Each song builds a world and guides you on a journey through them, in pursuit of therapy for the soul – a showcase of his flair for channelling complex emotive narratives with intricacy, nuance and depth. A purity is key to his success; a lack of fragmentation between creator and consumer is in abundance throughout his work and ensures removal of the obstacles that veil storytelling clarity – allowing audiences to bask in shape-shifting narratives. As the setlist ebbs and flows, the draped backdrop evolves through a corresponding emotive colour palette, turning from sunset shades of ruby and tangerine to deep blue and black of night. Musical dynamics wisp through soft sections and modulate to blaring, sweeping crescendos with appreciation of both the light and the dark in equal measure.

Mid-set, the orchestra exits and Einaudi hovers over the piano, shrouded by darkness aside from a single white spotlight. His hands rise and fall effortlessly across the keys with assurance, elegance and emotion. The mood shifts and the sound, though still rich, gives more room for thought. Elusiveness is upheld in his work’s simplicity, repetition in key cycles and arpeggiated sections gives capacity for the meditation that accompanies the work of Einaudi, and what drew so many millions across the world to him in the first place. His music often is brandished with the minimalist classical hallmark as it may not involve as many complex constructs as its counterparts, it feels unjust in this setting to deem it so. With compositions that have soundtracked global film and television, such as This Is England, Intouchables and Nomadland, his instrumental breadth and relatability is what drives connections that span continents.

Wishing it was something that could be bottled, the Turin composer’s work commands the power of reflection, with therapeutic, cathartic accomplishment. Einaudi’s simplistic classical melodies open a new grandiose world on the live stage, brandishing sheer beauty underneath each instrumental layer. It’s truly a masterful and addictive pool to dive in, one you wish you could plunge into over and over again.