New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Groundbreaking composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi today releases his new track "Pathos" - taken from his forthcoming album The Summer Portraits, out on Decca on 31st January 2025.
Einaudi is interested in the idea of disappearing into his own music, and he often starts with a feeling: "Imagine if you could be the light", he says. "Pathos" is built around a huge crescendo. Opening with a simple, tentative piano line which gradually gathers pace, before being joined by glistening strings, Einaudi's distinctive sound here mirrors the spray of the water in the accompanying video. Shot by Ludovico himself, you can almost feel the waves crashing as the instrumentation and repeating phrases depict both the power and beauty of the sea.
This stirring track follows the release of first single 'Rose Bay', which was also accompanied by a personal video, here featuring footage of Einaudi's childhood holidays, perfectly capturing the theme of the whole album.
The Summer Portraits, Einaudi's 17th studio album, is a song cycle in 13 tracks. Last year, Einaudi took a villa on a Mediterranean island and found the house to be decorated with 30 or 40 beautiful oil paintings clearly made by the same hand. Upon investigation, he discovered the story of a woman who owned the house and spent every summer there with her family. She used to create new paintings every summer and leave them in the house. "I started to think of my summers, the time where my life was strictly connected with all my senses, where the days felt like months and months like years, and I was free from morning to night, and every day was a new discovery of life, and nature was a fundamental part of it. We were nature" (Ludovico Einaudi)
"I thought that everyone has their own version of the summer portraits," Einaudi says. "A beautiful season connected with the best moments of our lives. So I started to make my own paintings with music. This album is dedicated to all our endless summers memories, all our beautiful moments."
The Summer Portraits is richer and more varied in its sonic palette than recent solo piano works. The baroque violin licks here in 'Pathos' are provided by a special guest, the French virtuoso: Theótime Langlois de Swarte. Einaudi first connected with him after being impressed by his take on the Vivaldi Concertos. They were recorded at Abbey Road, along with orchestral parts performed by the strings of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ames.
LIVE:
Einaudi shows sell out within a couple of hours; last year witnessed Einaudi's triumphant return to the UK, captivating arena audiences in Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool. Winter 2024 sees him play two nights at the London Palladium (11th & 12th November). This is followed by five consecutive nights at the Royal Albert Hall in summer 2025, the longest continuous headline run ever by a pianist at the historic London venue. The record-breaking run of dates (totalling over 26,000 people) takes place from 30th June to 4th July.
UNPARALLELED STREAMING SUCCESS:
His last single 'Adieux', released in January '24, broke all records as, with 2.5 million streams in a single day, it became the fastest-streamed classical track of all time. Einaudi transcends generations and has now surpassed 39 billion global streams across all platforms reaffirming the widespread appeal of his music globally.
