For hypnotism to work well, it helps if the person being hypnotized believes in hypnosis.

Stepping into a packed O2, it’s clear that one thing which has worked very well is Anna Lapwood’s ability to get 20,000 people to their seats long before the headline act arrives. This is in no small part due to her almost unparalleled triple-threat ability as an organist, communicator and social media-er. After opening with Olivia Belli’s Limina Luminis, Anna bounces off her instrument (Georgie the organ) and moves into choir director mode, prepping the crowd for their role in ‘Hoist the Colours’ — part of her Pirates of the Caribbean suite. The massive screens that flank the stage allow for intimate close-ups on the organ console as well as existing in an XL ‘portrait mode’ reminiscent of the smaller screens she has filled with organ visuals, music and enthusiasm across Instagram and TikTok. The night sky that she has the audience create with their phones is the perfect setting for her Interstellar arrangement (complete with much-warranted shoutouts for Roger Sayer who originated the organ part when co-creating it with Hans Zimmer).

And after having contributed to the creation of a galaxy of stars, it’s now time for the central star of the evening to take the stage. Touring as part of the release of The Summer Portraits Live (out on Decca), Ludovico Einaudi arrives in front of his largest ever UK crowd and gets to work casting a spell. Accompanied by a 10-person ensemble, the xylophone starts to chug and the screens are now filled with what looks like footage of a family holiday shot on super 8 film. Einaudi’s music often seems to be a soundtrack in search of a film, so it’s fitting that there’s some amount of filmic accompaniment for the music. The family theme is also continued when Ludovico introduces the keyboardist and guitar player who sits behind him as his son, Leo.

“We are so glad to be here tonight!” says Einaudi, after the first few tracks. Despite fame and recognition that only seems to grow each year, this sentiment of gratitude rings true. Ludovico’s spirit appears to remain kind, gentle, curious — all qualities that are present in his music. There is of course acres of room for contemplation in an Einaudi show. ‘Pathos’ is an excellent example of the trance-like repetitive interplay between cellos and violins, creating layer upon layer of texture, pattern upon pattern, the euphoric build allowing the crowd to go to whichever personal place they so choose. And there is also darkness: a menacing monochrome backdrop and a scarlet light that washes across the stage while the strings get moody in their spidery pizzicato and distorted cello. The light show for the show’s climax really is a floor-filler that could drop in an Ibiza club.

For all the lighting muscle and production of this arena show, it is in the stripped-back moments where Einaudi’s hypnotic qualities are experienced in their purest form. When the house lights go down for ‘I Giorni’, it’s just Einaudi’s music and the audience’s emotions in the room. Similarly, when he is joined by the expressive Redi Hasa on cello to perform ‘Maria Callas’, it is clear that Einaudi has an undeniable ability to create spaces (sonic, physical, emotional) where a person can let their working brain rest and feel their feelings, stripped of the barriers of language or pretense. By the time the encore arrives, Ludovico has being playing continuously for over 2 hours, the audience have been riding an emotional wave for over 2 hours and the 20,000-person clapping circle that accompanies ‘Experience’ is a hypnosis of its own. For hypnosis to work, you need to believe in it. For a Ludovico Einaudi show to do the things it can do, it helps to leave the cynicism of a hard-working brain at the door and to be open to the places the emotional free-association of that musical space can take you. If you’re open to being mesmerized by Ludovico Einaudi’s music, there’s almost no way to avoid having a mesmeric experience.

The Summer Portraits Live is out now and Ludvico’s forthcoming tour dates are here.