Thursday, July 17, 2014

Ludovico Einaudi: I Giorni

I’ve written about this talented Italian composer before and I’ll gladly do it again. This time, a bit his album “I Giorni” and the story behind it.


Yeah, that’s a hippo over there. What would it have to do with Einaudi? Here’s what. Once upon a time Ludovico travelled to Mali, it’s during that trip that he heard a kora player called Toumani Diabaté perform a beautiful traditional folk melody. The song tells a story about a hippo that was cherished a lot by the people and got killed by a hunter. It conveys the deep lament of the whole people for the loss of the animal they loved. On returning from the trip Einaudi got inspired for writing an entire set of 14 pieces that compiled his album “I Giorni” (‘the days’).

The main track of the album “I Giorni” is its most popular piano solo. Like other works by the composer it was featured a few times on TV (BBC programs) and in commercials (India, telecom). The tune is very good indeed, but it’s even better when listening to it you can imagine the origins of its inspirational background.

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