I am hoping that someone can enlighten me on this one. It appears that Ludovico Einaudi has a considerable and devoted following for his work. I don’t get it. To me, he sounds like a pianist of limited ability, sitting down at his instrument and noodling. I have tried listening to a few of his albums but still fail to understand why he is so highly regarded in some quarters.
Perhaps someone can enlighten me and outline the appeals that his music holds for them.
Elevator music makers are often very popular. Easy on the ear, and great music in the background at a dinner party.
Bocelli is my pet musical hatred right now. Like Pavarotti, he makes ersatz easy listening Opera, for those who find the real thing too heavy going, but want to feel a bit cultured by liking Opera.
I’ll take that challenge!
I have seen Einaudi 4 or 5 times from a great venue (The Barbican - probably in 2004?) to Hammersmith Apollo (!), RAH and latterly Edinburgh Castle. (last summer) - my wife and I consider ourselves to be fans.
Neither of us have anything but a passing interest in what might be called classical music and so I suppose we don’t know what we are missing. However, for us we really like the ebb and flow of his music and he is a master at creating tension, easing it, and then building again. I think his work suits a small ensemble to provide ‘colour’.
Either way, we really like his music, to the extent that I had it played at my father’s funeral. Each to their own.
This applies to many popular musical artists..piano or otherwise.
Do you have to be a Maestro to convey music people like? No.
Ed Sheeran anyone?
I hear him a lot on my local classical station, especially late at night. If people want to listen to middlebrow noodling, that’s fine, but it’s irksome to hear this music implicitly associated with a tradition it doesn’t belong to.
I think that depends on how narrowly one defines the classical tradition. Einaudi’s music is certainly simpler and more repetitive than most canonical classical repertoire, but classical music has always included works of varying complexity, popular appeal, and aesthetic goals. Radio stations may program him because his music uses classical instruments and compositional forms, even if it draws heavily from minimalism, ambient music, and contemporary popular styles.
I’m not a fan of Einaudi.
But it does seem ridiculous to allow oneself to become irked because a particular artist is associated with a genre/tradition that one identifies as one’s own.
The musician I listen to most is Keith Jarrett, especially in his trios.
Keith played across many genres and traditions, merged them and mixed them in order to express ideas and create beautiful music.
Genres and traditions in music are not bastions to be defended.
They are all parts of a great river of human creativity and enjoyment.
Me neither but I’ve noticed that Einaudi is an entry into classical music for people who like say EDM and other unspeakable types of music 
Post is with a wink, Einaudi is good for what it is/ he does. I also think he is an admirable person for what I understood from people in the field.
Barbarians at the gate! 
I know nothing about the man, except that I listened to a couple of tracks of his Music a few years ago and it was not my cup of tea.
I came across this delightful series of “ambient”-type tracks only this week:
Music for Quiet Moments
I’m very fond of Einaudi’s music and have quite a few albums. The Seven Days Walking set is a particular favourite. Some of the best music doesn’t fit neat genres, take Vincent Segal and Ballaké Sissoko for example. Lots of the ECM output is a jazz / classical hybrid. These crossovers can be highly creative. And does music have to be complex to be good? Of course not, and there is a lot of snobbery about musicians who are not considered ‘serious’.
I do not think it is snobbery. If you have a certain amount familiarity and maybe expertise, with a music genre, it is disheartening to see those who make a popularised saccharine version of a genre, become more famous and renowned, compared to somebody who is really talented in that type of music.
Bocelli comes to mind. A third rate Operetta singer, who thanks to clever (and perhaps cynical) record company marketing is everywhere these days filling the boots of the deceased Pavarotti, when some big event needs opening. Opera is not my thing, but those who are competent in the matter, say that neither are/were eccellent.
Huh? Since when is Pavarotti not excellent? And since when does Bocelli sing operetta?
Lang Lang comes to mind
When they use that operatic voice to sing pop, and that horrific whiny Italian music from the fifties (Oh sole mio) songs. Operetta is Bocelli’s level.
I worked for a long while with one of Italy’s leading Opera houses, and those who know about these things, did not rate the later Pavarotti, and Bocelli has never performed an opera. Italy’s Tin Pan Alley ( Caterina Caselli) is good at producing this bilge. Il Volo are another operatic abomination.
Einaudi and Lang Lang - judge for yourself!
Cheers
EJ
But it’s not snobbery though. No.
His inspired attitude doesn’t impress me, more tends to make me laugh, sorry. It’s just nice sirupy music, in the actual fashion trend.
Just like nobody would disagree that a good bottle of Barolo, is more enjoyable and better quality than a cheap supermarket boxed wine. Nobody will call you a snob for preferring the Barolo.
The same applies to music.
