Ludovico Einaudi, an eminent Italian pianist and music composer, has made a significant impact on the music industry. Trained at the prestigious Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, Einaudi initially focused on classical music but later ventured into various genres including pop, rock, world music, and folk music. His talent for composing scores for films and trailers has earned him recognition, with notable works including ‘This Is England’, ‘The Intouchables’, and ‘I’m Still Here’. Einaudi’s exceptional skills have been acknowledged with awards such as the Grolla d’oro for best soundtrack in 1996. Additionally, he has contributed music to popular TV series like ‘Doctor Zhivago’. With a collection of remarkable solo albums, such as ‘I Giorni’, ‘Nightbook’, and ‘In a Time Lapse’, Einaudi continues to captivate audiences with his piano and orchestra compositions. His latest studio album, ‘Elements’, was released in October 2015, further showcasing his artistic brilliance.
Quick Facts
- Italian Celebrities Born In November
- Ludovico Maria Enrico Einaudi
- Age: 68 Years, 68 Year Old Males
- Family: father: Giulio Einaudi, mother: Renata Aldrovandi Einaudi, children: Jessica Einaudi, Leo Einaudi
- Pianists
- Composers
- Notable Alumni: Milan Conservatory
- City: Turin, Italy
- More Facts: education: Milan Conservatory
Childhood & Early years
Ludovico Einaudi was born on 23 November 1955, in Turin, Italy. He came from a prestigious family; his grandfather, Luigi Einaudi, was President of Italy between 1948 and 1955 and his father, Giulio Einaudi, was a publisher who worked with some renowned authors, such as Italo Calvino and Primo Levi.
Einaudi’s mother, Renata Aldrovandi, used to play piano to him when he was a child. Renata’s father, Waldo Aldrovandi, was a pianist, an opera conductor and music composer who moved to Australia after World War II.
Einaudi’s interest in music was evident from the childhood. As a teenager, he started to compose his own music and used to play folk guitar. This was just the beginning of his music journey.
He received his musical training at Conservatorio Verdi in Milan and got a diploma in composition, in 1982. In the same year, he also undertook an orchestration class by Luciano Berio and won scholarship to the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Einaudi believes that he learned a great deal from Berio who taught him that there is dignity in music. He also collaborated with other musicians like Ballake Sissoko from Mali and Djivan Gasparian from Armenia.
Career
After receiving his diploma in composition, Ludovico Einaudi spent years composing music in traditional forms such as several chamber and orchestral compositions. Soon he received international attention and began performing at venues like Teatro alla Scala, Tanglewood Festival, Lincoln Center, and UCLA Center for Performing Arts.
By mid-1980s, he started to explore for more personal expression in his series of works for dance, multimedia and piano. In 1984, Einaudi collaborated with many in theatre, video, and dance which included compositions for the ‘Sul filo d’Orfeo’. His other collaborations include ‘Time Out’ in 1988, ‘The Wild Man’ in 1990, and ‘Emperor’ in 1991. Einaudi also collaborated for an opera/ballet which was commissioned by Arena di Verona.
In the mid-1990s, Einaudi started to compose soundtracks for films. He gave music in two films by Michele Sordillo, namely, ‘Da qualche parte in citta’ in 1994, and ‘Acquario’ in 1996. For ‘Acquario’, he won the Grolla d’ror for the best soundtrack. In 1998, he wrote the score for ‘Giorni dispari’ and composed soundtrack with Treno di panna. Collaborating with Antonello Grimaldi on ‘Un delitto impossibile’ he composed the soundtrack for ‘Fuori del mondo’ in 2000. This soundtrack won him the Echo Klassik award in Germany. In 2002, Einaudi’s composed soundtrack for ‘Luce dei miei occhi’ which was well appreciated and won him many awards.
Solo Releases
Ludovico Einaudi released his first solo piano album, ‘Le Onde’ on BMG, in 1996. The album received mainstream success, particularly in Italy and UK. It was based on the famous British author, Virginia Woolf’s novel ‘The Waves’. His next release ‘I Giorni’ had more of a personal touch as it was inspired by his travels in Africa. ‘I Giorni’ was released in 2001 and was featured in a BBC promotion for arts and culture programmes. In 2004, Einaudi released a live album ‘La Scala Concert 03.03.03’ which was recording of a concert at La Scala opera house held in Italy in 2013.
In 2006, Einaudi released ‘Divenire’ album which was a collaboration of Piano and Orchestra. The album was at the top of iTunes classical chart. Einaudi took a different direction with his music in 2009 when he released ‘Nightbook’. In this album, Einaudi combined synthesized sounds along with his solo piano playing. More than 35,000 copies of the album were sold in Italy. The album, ’In a Time Lapse’, was released in 2013. Its songs were performed by Einaudi at the annual iTunes Festival held at Roundhouse in London. In October 2015, he released the album ‘Elements’. The album is named so because it is inspired from the elements of nature.
Major Works
Ludovico Einaudi is known for his soothing and mesmerizing music which has won hearts all over the world. He has composed music for films, television, commercials, and won many prizes and awards. His album ‘Waves’ in 1996 was the real turning point in his career. The album focused on circular sound and minimalist music which later became his style. This style of music was well received much later in United Kingdom gaining acclaim from critics as well as audience.
Awards & Achievements
In 2002, Ludovico Einaudi’s soundtrack for ‘Luce dei miei occhi’ won the best soundtrack at 2002 Italian Music Awards. Also, the same soundtrack won him the Best Film Score at an Italian award function. His soundtrack for movie ‘Sotto falso nome’ won the Best Film Music Award at the Avignon Film Festival in 2004. Einaudi is the recipient of ‘The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic’, a senior order of knighthood awarded for ‘’merit acquired by the nation” in the fields of arts, literature, economy and other services.
Trivia
Ludovico Einaudi has composed music for many movies, some of the eminent ones include ‘Insidious’ (2010) directed by James Wan, and ‘The Intouchables’, which was biggest box office collection in France in 2011. In 2007, he undertook a humanitarian project and collected funds for construction of water wells in Africa. Einaudi has also participated in Greenpeace Campaign that was filmed in the Arctic in 2016.