Ludovico Einaudi @ Symphony Hall, Birmingham – Sunday 14th April 2013
Music is a work of art when properly executed, as displayed tonight by Italian piano extraordinaire Ludovico Einaudi, performing his latest album “In a Time Lapse” in his sell out tour of the UK at Symphony Hall Birmingham.
I first came across his work when he was promoting his album on the BBC Breakfast Show, he closed the show with a performance of “Time Lapse”, it was him and a piano, the music was sublime. From then I made a promise to experience his music live.
From start to finish Mr Einaudi and his band entertained us with tracks from his new album, every note of music played on the night was well received tracks such as Walk, Life and the popular single Time Lapse. The music that was being played took you on an emotional journey and had captured the audience’s undivided attention.
All throughout Ludovico’s performance I was being reflective of my day and I kept for some reason thinking about sports- Formula One and Football to be exact. Then it occurred to me why this was happening. Earlier on in the day I was watching Formula one and watching Eunaudi’s perform was synonymous with watching the driver in his car with a great attention to detail for his craft and tremendous skill involved in what he was doing. The music had surpassed the high expectations; it was on another level, heartfelt and warming. His also had an amazing ensemble supporting him on the night, ten of them to be precise and counting Ludovico makes 11, they were like watching a great football team perform. Who all were well verse and know there team mates moves inside out. All the members of his ensemble were just as intricate in their playing as him, similar to a pit stop in Formula One where all the changes were made in a precise and skilful manner to compliment the efforts of the driver. And my god did he put it to work -the piano —like a true Italian he put his Ferrari to work on a Formula One track. Like a great game of football we paused for halftime also known as the interval, where the amazed audience had time to catch their breath from the magic they were witnessing in the Symphony Hall.
The second half only got better, Ludovico Einaudi entered the stage and performed a solo piece, he was the joined by two members of his ensemble playing their respective instruments adding to what was already playing, gradually followed by all the other members leading to a crescendo. An overused cliché when describing concerts is ‘out of this world’ but something truly breathtaking happened. A light, then lots of them parallel to the beautiful music that was being played.
The scene was set like a Sci-Fi movie. It was a surprise, a very pleasant one indeed. Playing almost as another instrument had just synced itself with the astonishing music that was being played. Symphony Hall has been described as one of the finest and most acoustic sound music halls in the World. The music from In A Time Lapse that graced the stage tonight deserves nothing less in a venue.
The concert tonight was near perfect; Ludovico Einaudi is definitely an experience that any true music fan should experience at least once in life. Ludovico and his ensemble were met with rapturous applause and a well deserved standing ovation. The man simply put his right hand on his heart, and pointed towards his fellow musicians who joined him at the front of the stage where they were all dressed in black.
The unison between them was amazing the only one that stood out was Ludovico because of his maroon trousers and the fact he was the name we were expecting to see. He was a captain of a ship that sailed into the hearts of the Birmingham audience. The concert was 99% perfect. My one percent of disapproval was that the concert was that it had to come to an end.
Review by Chadwick Jackson
Photographs by Andy Watson