The following is a lovely statement by Einaudi about his 2004 album. ‘Una Mattina’ contains some of his most moving pieces and many popular works, chief amongst which is the captivating composition ‘Nuvole Bianche’.

“If someone asked me about this album, I would say it is a collection of songs linked together by a story. But unlike my other albums, it doesn’t belong to a time in the past. It speaks about me now, my life, the things around me. My piano, which I have nicknamed Tagore, my children Jessica and Leo, the orange kilim carpet that brightens up the living room, the clouds sailing slowly across the sky, the sunlight coming through the window, the music I listen to, the books I read and those I don’t read, my memories, my friends and the people I love” (Ludovico Einaudi, 2004)

‘Nuvole Bianche’ means ‘White Clouds’. The beauty of Nuvole Bianche is largely due its simplicity. The sense of peace is almost palpable as the music ebbs and flows. Above the rhythmic accompaniment, a lyrical melody comes to the fore. The harmonies are subtle and the alternating chord progressions create an ever changing sense of sadness and happiness. These beautiful mood swings are reminiscent of Chopin. The work is clearly romantic but it has a minimalist structure. The affective subtlety of the piece emerges largely from the constant changes from major to minor chords.

‘Nuvole Bianche’ has featured in many films including ‘Insidious’ (2010), directed by James Wan; the British TV drama ‘This Is England ‘86’ (2010) and the TV series ‘Derek’ (2012), directed by and starring Ricky Gervais. I hope you enjoy my rendition of ‘Nuvole Bianche’ in the video below

Einaudi has never claimed that his music has intellectual depth. Rather, it conveys the pleasures, happiness’, loves, and longings of the human heart with strikingly moving effect. The powerful tunefulness and the glorious underlying musical themes elevate the music to formally innovative composition. This is illustrated in the wonderful composition on the album entitled ‘Ora’.

‘Ora’ has an enigmatic feel to it and the musical tone and colour lend it an atmosphere of light and dark simultaneously. Whatever one might say about the song musically, it certainly captivates the listener and gives a sense of something that lies beyond. It is one of my favourite pieces by Einaudi, although it is arguably less well-known by audiences.

All the music on the album is composed by Ludovico Einaudi and it is well worth listening to in its entirety.

Titles include Una Mattina; Ora; Resta con Me ; Leo; A fuoco; Dolce droga; Dietro Casa; Come un fiore; DNA; Nuvole nere; Questa volta; Nuvole bianche and Ancora.