A while ago, I picked up Ludovico Einaudi's fantastic album, Divenire, and fell completely in love with his minimalistic classical music in a way that no modern composer has really gotten me before. Einaudi's followup album, Nightbook, was something that I was apprehensive about, simply because I wasn't sure if any of the songs in that album could top the beauty that enthralled me with songs such as Primavera, Andare and Divenire.
In that way, Nightbook was a bit of a surprise for me, as it has a slightly different tone and feel than Divenire, but one that keeps much of what I loved about it. This album is packed with a number of absolutely georgious tracks, from the slow, subdued In Principio to Lady Labyrinth, a flowing piano piece, to the sublime piano solo Indaco. Where Divenire seemed to focus a bit more on strings (at least when I think about the album, that's what I remember) this album seems to be far more intimately focused on the piano. This gives Nightbook a very different tone and feel throughout.
What I really like about this album is that it really helps to reinforce my love of classical music. While I don't listen to it as often, I'm often stocked at the dismissal that the genre often receives from other music listeners, and I've never been able to put my finger on just why that is. As someone who's attended hundreds of classical music concerts in my lifetime, I would say that it's incredibly important, and Einaudi's music certainly feels like a neo-classical work of art, rather than a rock musician who has taken to concert piano for a project. This album feels intimate, real and honest throughout. I honestly get chills while listening to some of the tracks here, such as The Crane Dance, Indaco and The Tower, and already, several of these songs have been played dozens of times on my computer, over and over again, while I close my eyes to relax and listen.
Indaco - Ludovico Einaudi
The Snow Prelude No.15 - Ludovico Einaudi
