Cross Current Music presents one of the globe’s most prodigious and prolific musicians – Ludovico Einaudi - on Tuesday, October 10 at 8pm at The Orpheum Theatre. As part of his ‘Essential Einaudi’ North American Tour, the Italian pianist and composer will be joined on stage by an ensemble of five fellow musicians for an exquisite evening of music drawn from Einaudi’s body of work. The program highlights the artist’s chart-topping, genre-defying compositions, hailed by critics and fans alike as evocative, seductive, and hauntingly beautiful – a thrilling blend of electronic, acoustic, alt-classical, ambient, and pop.
Cross Current Music’s Patrick Darby, who presents the Vancouver engagement, says of Ludovico Einaudi, “His creations are simply everywhere: Topping classical charts, underscoring TV and film, integrated into advertising, and remixed by commercial music’s biggest stars. And while it can be difficult to accurately describe his combination of minimalist, contemporary, and classical music in words – you only need to hear a single phrase to recognize it as one of his entirely unique creations.”
Ludovico Einaudi’s latest album - 2015’s Elements - topped classical charts in 42 countries across the globe. In the United Kingdom it soared into the nation’s mainstream album chart at #12 - the first time in over a generation that a classical artist achieved such heights - surpassing releases by pop stars James Bay and Taylor Swift.
His compositions have formed the soundtrack of a multitude of film and TV productions, including This is England and The Intouchables, working with a diverse range of directors from acclaimed Canadian Xavier Dolan to Oscar winner Clint Eastwood. In his own concert appearances, Einaudi was the first classical act to play the iTunes Festival on a line-up that included pop diva Lady Gaga and rapper Kendrick Lamar.
In keeping with his belief in music as a source of spiritual elevation in a troubled world, Einaudi is also a passionate advocate for environmental causes, including the preservation of the shrinking Arctic. In June 2016, he took an expedition on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, which carried messages from eight million people around the globe calling for governments to save the Arctic from threats such as oil drilling and destructive fishing. Upon the ship’s arrival in an Arctic bay, Einaudi debuted Elegy for the Arctic, written for the occasion, alone with a Steinway on a pontoon raft while massive glaciers calved in the background.
Einadui’s Vancouver performance will be the first Canadian stop on his ‘Essential Einaudi’ North American Tour, which commences Oct. 7, 2017 in Seattle. More information at ludovicoeinaudi.com
Ludovico Einaudi
Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 8pm
Ticket prices: From $64
Address: Orpheum Theatre, 601 Smithe St., Vancouver, BC
Box Office: ticketmaster.ca
