Amazon.co.uk Review: The inspiration for Ludovico Einaudi's I Giorni was a 12th-century folk song from Mali about a hippopotamus who was cherished by the residents of a nearby village but killed by a hunter. "The song," writes Einaudi in his succinct liner note, "is sung as a lament for the death of a king or a great person or for the loss of a loved one." The result is a tender and introspective set of 14 piano pieces, performed on this recording by the composer himself.
I Giorni comes hot on the heels of Eden Roc, released just eight months earlier, which demonstrates Einaudi's popularity. I Giorni is the Italian composer's second all-piano disc, the first being Le Onde.
Einaudi's piano compositions, staples of the Classic FM diet, owe more to the music of Satie and Michael Nyman than to his former teacher Luciano Berio. Indeed, several movements of I Giorni, "Quel che resta" in particular, contain more than a passing reference to Nyman's soundtrack to The Piano. The pervading mood is melancholic and soporific--this is music to wind down to and let wash over you. --Rebecca Agnew
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Love him, or hate him
Einaudi seems to inspire great words of admiration from some listeners, whilst he causes me to reach for the off button. Words I would use are 'insipid', 'uninspired', 'repetitive', 'superficial' and 'boring'. Am I missing something...........
Rating: - Intimate Listening
This disc exudes real pleasure and it is perfect for relaxing with an intimate friend. It is akin to a beautiful wild rose; soft and smooth as velvet, free willed and occasionally daring.
Rating: - If you're looking for great piano music, look elsewhere.
The world brims with great piano music. The works of Mozart, Beethoven, Shubert, Liszt and more than two dozen other fine composers have a magic that takes the breath away. Ludovico Einaudi is no such magician.
His efforts are pleasant enough in an undemanding, unchallenging and ultimately unrewarding way - but the pieces on this disc are, to be blunt, the ultimate in "hear and forget" music. The sort of stuff that should tinkle away quietly in the background of a dinner party to fill ... Read More
Rating: - Tedious
I found this boring and little more than an arpeggio exercise. None of the pieces has the melodious style of Le Onde, which is very disappointing. I Giorni is about the best of the collection and is probably the only one I'll ever have the motivation to play again. In some of the pieces, it's like he ran out of ideas and put in a couple of pages of chords to pad it out.
I have read the other reviews and persevered in case I was missing something, but I can't find any depth to it. It ... Read More
Rating: - Captivating
I first heard a track from this album on Classic FM and it hooked into my brain. I was so taken with it that I went out and bought the album. It is now firmly fixed in my all-time favourite list of music. The flowing subtleties of exotic melodies played with such feeling are relaxing yet engrossing. I know that whenever I treat myself to the time to listen to the whole album I will be transported to a better place.
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