Ludovico Einaudi has returned to the UK, three and a half years after the release of his last album Elements (2015). On 1 March 2019, the Italian minimalist composer and pianist announced a new, seven-part project named Seven Days Walking, which will be released over the course of seven months in 2019.

An Evening With Ludovico Einaudi — presented over two nights — sold out in a record-breaking 23 minutes. Einaudi’s soft, repetitive piano, which meanders on short, simple, modal themes, is world-renowned. Beautifully lit and staged (with fantastic sound tech), Einaudi didn’t say a word to the audience the whole evening, but was met with rock star-like applause on his entry to the stage, and a deafening standing ovation at the finale.

These two special concerts at the Union Chapel in Islington were created at Einaudi’s request, in order to introduce some new material, and present his new accompanying violinist (Frederico Mecozzi) and cellist (Redi Hasa). The trio play together from memory, without sheet music, and seem to share telepathic musicianship; very exciting to watch.

Performing as a trio, the new music is also a little more ambitious than Einaudi’s previous work, bringing out the beautiful string lines with an exciting variety of techniques, ranging from ghostly sul ponticello tremolo to gypsy-style spiccato arpeggios. Seeing the maestro perform live really sends it home what a talented and technically brilliant pianist he is: his music is deceptively simple, but no one plays Einaudi like Einaudi.

Seven Days Walking could be Ludovico Einaudi’s masterwork.