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Pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi was born in Turin, November 23, 1955. His mother, also a pianist, would play for him as a young child, planting the seeds for what would become a fruitful, illustrious career. Einaudi studied under Luciano Berio at the Conservatory of Milan, graduating with a diploma in composition. In 1982 his talents would win him a scholarship to the Tanglewood Music Festival. The experience opened Einaudi's ears to new ideas like minimalism, world music influences and aspects of pop music. He spent the next several years composing for the ballet, including Sul Filo d'Orfeo (1984), Time-Out (1988) and The Wild Man (1991). Einaudi turned a corner in 1996 with the release of his first collection of solo performances, entitled Le Onde. This record started Einaudi down the path towards becoming one of Europe's best selling pianist/composers. 1999's Eden Roc and 2001's I Giorni, both for BMG, captured the solo piano world's attention, both remaining best-sellers for years to come. While seemingly at the top of the composition world, Einaudi ventured into the world of film composition, a journey punctuated by his Best Film Score award in 2002 for his work on Luce Die Miei Occhi. Einaudi noted interviews during that period that he missed concretizing, and began performing again regularly. New works blossomed from this effort, including 2004's Una Mattina and 2006's Diario Mali. 2007 welcomed Einaudi's seventh studio album, titled Divenire, where he is accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi has worked in many musical areas over the years, producing music for theatres, movie directors and ballet companies, as well as releasing solo albums notable for their sophisticated restraint and elegant minimalism. Divenire - Einaudi's seventh studio album – is a slight diversion in that it's the first time the composer has collaborated with a full orchestra: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to be exact. Einaudi's compelling piano pieces are still at the core of Divenire and remain as mesmerizing as ever, but the orchestral embellishments lend his work a richer, more sweeping ambience. Divenire also sees Einaudi experiment with electronics, though these are used sparingly; primarily as textural devices. While not as minimal as earlier works, Divenire does not embrace the epic, preferring instead to ebb and flow gently between pared-down piano pieces and the fuller, more emotive sentiments of "Primavera," or the 11-minute opus, "Oltremare." Representing yet another stage in a formidably progressive career, Divenire sees Ludovico Einaudi at the height of his imaginative powers.


'Divenire' is the seventh studio album from Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi. Originally conceived back in 2002 - when Einaudi was invited to compose and perform a piece for the ISuoni Delle Dolomiti festival - 'Divenire' sees Einaudi backed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic giving a new dimension to his minimalist and moving piano pieces.

Review by Jonathan Widran :

Sometimes dubbed a "minimalist" for his simple elegance and openness of expression, the bestselling Italian contemporary classical composer and pianist mixes eloquent solo piano pieces like the graceful, reflective "Monday," dramatic, film score-flavored compositions recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (the moody title track, a sweeping and soaring &"Primavera"), and other tracks, swirling his piano with such quirky effects as loops, cello improvisation and overdubs, and reverse piano loops. Beyond those, one of his most striking compositions is "Fly," which builds an orchestral intensity on par with "A Day in the Life" and adds the touch of electric guitars to a spacy, liquid landscape. His masterful, multifaceted texturing skills make this thought-provoking, breathtaking in spots disc effective as a hypnotic, new age pop type listen perfect for meditation as well as an extension of his actual film score work.