WORDS OF WISDOM
Best advice I was given
Always broaden your
horizons — learn as
you exploreAdvice I’d give
Find inspiration in the
natural world around youWhat I wish I’d known
To trust in myself more and
not waste time worrying
about my abilityDUET POSTSCRIPTUME
inaudi was born in Turin.
After training at the
Conservatorio Verdi in
Milan, he began his
career as a classical
composer, later
incorporating other music
genres. He has written TV and
film scores, including This Is
England and Nomadland. He
is the most streamed classical
pianist of all time, with more
than two billion streams, but
has faced criticism for his
minimalist style. He lives in
Turin with his wife, Paola
Dallolio, an author, and their
11-year-old daughter. He has
two grown-up children from
a previous marriage.My first composition of the day
doesn’t involve music — it is a
cup of tea. My wife’s alarm
wakes me at 7.30am, then I put
the kettle on. Assam Dikom tea
is my favourite, which I
sometimes blend with a Ceylon
variety. Tea is important to me.
When I’m in London I visit
Fortnum & Mason. The staff
know me and we talk tea for an
hour or more. There can be a big
queue by the time I leave.
We moved back to Turin at
the start of the year after living
in the countryside. Our
third-floor flat is almost 200
years old, in the heart of the
historic city. It faces a beautiful
square with many trees. When I
pull back the curtains in the
morning it feels more like Paris.
For breakfast I might eat bread
and jam. Afterwards I walk my
daughter to school.
Back home I then take my
dog out to exercise. Brina is an
18-month-old, soft-coated
wheaten terrier. Between
lockdowns we spent time in the
Swiss Alps and every day Iwould see people walking dogs.
I started to watch them and
wonder, ‘What dog would I
like?’ Now I have a group of
dog-walking friends in Turin.
We talk, stop for an espresso in a
café and put the world to rights.
My studio is just a simple
room in my house. When not
composing I’m always listening
to other music, I like the
sensation of not being
completely alone it creates,
which harks back to childhood.
My father was a respected
publisher and many interesting
creative people were in and out
of the house. Mother loved to
play piano and my grandfather
Luigi was a brilliant economist
and the second president of
Italy. It seemed my two sistersand I were lucky to grow up in
that special world.
Sadly my father’s relationship
with my mother was not as good
as it seemed and eventually they
split up. There was a lot of
upset. I spent too much time
hidden away in my room, trying
to find a way through. My
schoolwork went downhill
rapidly and, at the lowest point,
I had to decide what to do with
my life. I chose music.
My biggest musical influence
was the composer Luciano
Berio, who I first met in 1980.
He let me work on his scores
and I learnt music wasn’t just
about theory. I started to earn
a living composing before Le
Onde was released in 1996. It
was my first solo piano album. It
introduced me to the world —
suddenly my music was famous.
Lunch is usually a simple
salad or soup. I enjoy cooking
and sometimes use a teppanyaki
cooker. Later, for supper,
I might prepare shrimps or baby
lobster for the family. I also love
chocolate, but if I start eating a
bar I become addicted. It’s the
same with sweets — difficult to
avoid with a child in the house.
Usually I’m at my piano four
hours a day, sharpening
technique and playing scales.
If I don’t practise I don’t feel so
good. I also keep a music diary
to fill with ideas. My music is a
way to communicate with
people, it’s a language that
doesn’t need translation and
comes from my heart. Some in
the classical environment don’t
like what I do — the film scores
and dabbling with electronics
— but the great composers of
the past didn’t confine
themselves in a box.
During the evening I might
play table tennis. When I’m on
tour I take on one of the lighting
technicians. The venues prepare
a table for us. To relax I listen to
all kinds of music. At the
moment I enjoy the American
pianist Jon Batiste, but I also
play Radiohead and Eminem.
That surprises many people as
my own music is quite mellow.
If I hadn’t gone to music college
at 16, maybe I would have been a
rock singer. Music can take you
in many different directions n
Interview by Jeremy TaylorA LIFE IN THE DAY
Ludovico Einaudi
Pianist and composer, 66
58 • The Sunday Times Magazine*