The Concert: Ludovico Einaudi
The Location: The Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House
Playing: Tomorrow at the same place, at the Myer Music Bowl on 7 February and Perth Concert Hall 9-11 February.
Stars: 5
This was my Christmas present to myself. A night in a lovely hotel, followed by a short mooch in the Museum of Contemporary Art, then a restricted view ticket, up in the nosebleed section of the Sydney Opera House to see Ludovico Einaudi.
"Who?" you might ask.
Well, he is a bit of a case of IYKYK (if you know, you know).
Einaudi is sublime.
"And?" you continue.
It had to be done. I love Einaudi, and it appears, so do the five thousand people who packed out yesterday's matinee at the Sydney Opera House. Standing ovations. Wolf whistles. The desire to take him home for a barbeque because he looks like a good bloke, even if he is pushing 70, he'd happily be there with a glass of wine in one hand, barbeque tongs in the other.
Yes, that's what I like about Einaudi. For classical music, it's very accessible. It's meditative, quiet, often gentle. He reminds me a lot of Michael Nyman (think of The Piano soundtrack) with a bit of Yann Tiersen (think the Amelie soundtrack). A lot of his music relies on the premise of a variation on a theme, building on melodies, then coming back to them. You could say that all music does this - but Einaudi does this so well. For those who like arthouse films, he did the soundtracks for Nomadland and The Intouchables (brilliant French film, if you haven't seen it - must be seen in French - the Brian Cranston version doesn't hold a candle to it).
I'd chosen a restricted view seat in the nosebleed section, leaving the closer seats to watch the man and his hands in detail. To be honest, I spent a lot of time sitting there with my eyes closed drinking in what he can do on a piano. A little later he was joined by a cellist, a bloke on the violin and a percussionist, adding to the soundscape.
He played for the full two hours. Do not ask me the names of the pieces he played. I don't know them. I just know I love his music.
He introduced his ensemble to loud applause. "And I am Ludovico on the piano," he said humbly.
He received a ten- minute standing ovation.
He is very loved. Loved so much that there was a queue at the merchandise stand both before and after the performance.
Maybe it's the excitement of being in the Sydney Opera House, iconic building that it is. You see it all the time, but you rarely go in there. Maybe it's the joy of watching the very mixed crowd of people, being a lot younger than your average classical music set. It's fun seeing how many really dress up for these events. Those in jeans and t-shirts mixed with those dressed up to the nines - even up in the gods where I chose to sit.
All of this made for a great afternoon, but essentially, this man, his piano and his genius made it memorable.
If you can score a ticket to one of his concerts, just do it. He comes to Australia fairly regularly.
You can thank me later.
No comments:
Post a Comment