Ludovico Einaudi: Elements | Perth Concert Hall | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi was seated centre stage as I entered the Perth Concert Hall, sat facing away from the audience at his piano in the spotlight.
Flanked by his five accompanying players equipped with strings, guitars, percussion instruments and some less typical musical devices, the audience fell deathly silent as Einaudi began to bring his latest album, Elements, to life in the hall.
The minimalist composer, who drew inspiration from nature, mathematics, science and art in this creation is assisted by beautiful light projections that align with the motivation each piece and he conducts his incredibly talented quintet from his piano bench.
His music is unquestionably divine. As one who was not entirely familiar with Einaudi’s work prior to the performance, I was struck by the delicate elegance of each piece as they began with beautiful simplicity and soared into roaring crescendos that would outshine the most lauded of blockbuster soundtracks.
The BAFTA-nominated artist (This Is England) lets his inspirations take front and centre in his work, evoking the structure of mathematics, the wonder of science and the unpredictability of natural elements with each individual piece of music that sound exquisite as a whole.
Einaudi is one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary composers for good reason – eliciting tears and prompting the loudest standing ovation I have ever witnessed which led to an unforgettable encore that still had the crowd screaming for more. An absolutely infallible performance from one of today’s most brilliant artists.
Leigh Hill
