ITALIAN COMPOSER LUDOVICO EINAUDI’S DELICATE, THOUGHTFUL AND OFTEN PROFOUNDLY EMOTIONAL PIANO PIECES HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN SEVERAL NOTABLE TELEVISION AND CINEMA SOUNDTRACKS – INCLUDING IN ALL INSTALMENTS OF SHANE MEADOWS’ THIS IS ENGLAND.

In much the same way as Moby’s PLAY became omnipresent fifteen-or-so years ago – its tracks transcending modest album status through use in other media – choice moments from the Italian’s back catalogue have seeped steadily into the collective conscious. Einaudi’s evocative soundscapes are often chosen to augment and elevate TV, commercials and cinema soundtracks. Shane Meadows’ devastating THIS IS ENGLAND (plus each of its TV sequels) contains a fistful of Einaudi pieces which deliberately counterpoint the ugliness of the film’s situation, and Ricky Gervais’ otherwise lacklustre sitcom DEREK employs some of his work to shift the emphasis away from blunted comedy towards pathos. In a far grander tradition than the vogue for mere licensing of individual tracks, Einaudi has also composed fresh music for several other films and TV productions – including last winter’s THE WATER DIVINER (which starred Russell Crowe and Olga Kurylenko) and a stunning score for the Keira Knightley / Sam Neill version of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (2002). He’s also released twelve non-soundtrack albums since his debut (in 1988). Surprisingly the title track of his 2001 album I GIORNI even made the UK Top Forty singles chart a decade on from its original release. Einaudi is about to release his thirteenth album. ELEMENTS (out through Decca on October 16th) is a collection of new pieces inspired by nature’s elements, mathematical and scientific elements, musical forms and works of art. In this fascinating new edition of The Mouthcast, Einaudi discusses the themes of ELEMENTS, reflects on his process and talks about his soundtrack work…

Pre-order the CD edition of ELEMENTS here