Review Summary: Divernire is filled with piano compositions that capture the attention and emotions of listeners and probably won't give them back.
Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian classical composer who is often placed into the minimalist movement. His main choice for an instrument, the piano, serves as the backbone for his songs, acting as the prominent foundation layer; however, other instruments and effects can be heard throughout his creations on occasion as well. Throughout his career, Einaudi has also worked on various soundtracks for movies, and a few key pieces from his albums – most notably “Fly” – have been used in various commercials for movies and sports promotions as well.
Divernire is the composer’s seventh proper studio album.
Divernire is Ludovico at his best; everything is cohesive and emotionally riveting, making for an album of compositions that can rival the best from recent years in the minimalist movement. Take for instance the title track that greets listeners earlier on. Ludovico enters on a foreboding A, B, C, and G chord progression that foretells the inevitable: the storm is coming. Encircling chords climax properly twice throughout the piece; all the while, listeners are swept away into the creation, their emotions rising and falling with each build and release. Moments like this showcase the composer’s peak of skill and ability on this record; what’s more, this is only the second song of the album, and more moments like this are to follow. Whether it’s the conveyed depression that comes with the ‘mourning’ of “Monday” or the subtle feelings of hope that give way with the images in “Rose”, Ludovico’s talent of tying emotions to musical compositions cannot be denied.
“Andare” contains a tick-tock pace that foretells the countdown to doomsday–the instant at the 2:40 mark is the very centerpiece of this album. A constant yet light rotation of E and B chords is joined unexpectantly by the melody, creating a heightened feel of tension and subsequent beauty. Rotating chords and keys enter thereafter, and what is surely one of the album’s most stunning compositions exits, bleeding into the hopeful and aforementioned “Rose”. “Primavera” and “Oltremare” both shoot for the epic and succeed with finesse and some of the album’s best builds as well. The prior makes use of an aggressive bed of strings during its release, and the subsequent dénouement follows after with well calculated major chords to continue the flow.
The instant in “Andare” detailed above may be the centerpiece and groom of
Divernire, but his best man certainly comes in the form of the racing “Fly”. An arpeggio of chords is repeated in sequence for the main riff of the song, the likes of which have become increasingly popular in sports commercials. The appeal of the song is universal; it is an instant where what is perceived to be simple at first, quickly becomes beautiful and wholly transcendent from the very music that it is commonly associated with. “Fly” is the summation of the variety of the emotions and feelings that came before it: the finale, if you will, and the pieces that follow thereafter act as the conclusion to this stunning album. While it could be argued that these tracks placed at the end are
too subtle and free flowing, in context of the album, they are actually quite effective in laying any heightened emotions or anxiousness quickly to rest. The listener will leave
Divernire with a feeling of understanding that grows and expands with subsequent listenings: this is one of the best minimalistic albums in the past few years.
