For many people, the term ‘minimalism’, when applied to art, is like Marmite; an immensely divisive subject, loved by its protagonists, derided by its detractors. But for those who adhere to the latter side of this argument, then perhaps a trip to the Brighton Dome this April will help to change those blinkered views.
The man charged with challenging such entrenched opinion, the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi, has been at the forefront of the minimal movement for many years now, and as a pianist, his sparse and solitary melodies will already be familiar to British audiences, thanks to the prolific involvement in a plethora of film, television and advertisement scores.
The fact Einaudi’s compositions work just as well when providing the soundtrack to Shane Meadow’s bleakly evocative paean to 80’s austerity “This is England” as they do when bringing melodic gravitas to the dad-rocking romps of Jeremy Clarkson’s “Top Gear” gang only goes to show that within the world of minimalist performance, there lies a diversity of melodic landscape rich with emotional potential.
However, despite the sometimes Spartan approach Einaudi brings to his work, the current tour sees the enigmatic Italian accompanied by an 11-piece band that includes a smorgasbord of strings, guitars and percussion, not to mention a raft full of digital effects. Not quite the conventional minimalist ingredients then, but in the hands of Ludovico and friends, the music wrought by this burgeoning collective still manages to convey a fragility unobtainable by many of his contemporaries.
Starting at 8pm, £29.50/£24.50, all ages. The new album “Ludovico Einaudi: In a Timelapse” is out now.
For more info an tickets, visit einaudiwebsite.com
Follow him on facebook.com/ludovicoeinaudi
Words by Ed Kirby
