Ludovico Einaudi

After a childhood in Turin, Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi studied at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan. Initially oriented toward contemporary music, he worked as an assistant to Luciano Berio before developing a more melodic, piano-centered style of writing. Beginning with Le Onde (1996), followed by I Giorni (2001), Una Mattina (2004) and Divenire (2006), he built a discography in which repeating motifs, simple harmonies, minimalist influences, and touches of folk and ambient give his pieces a refined, stripped-back shape. He continued this approach on Nightbook (2009), In a Time Lapse (2013), Elements (2015), the Seven Days Walking cycle (2019), and Underwater (2022), exploring formats ranging from solo to chamber ensembles combining strings with discreet electronics. Alongside his albums, Einaudi composes for film and television—most notably for the film This Is England (2006) and the series Doctor Zhivago (2002)—while many preexisting works are used in the soundtracks of international films and documentaries, helping to broadly disseminate his hybrid style between contemporary classical music and intimate popular writing.