Journey to peace

I’m weaving in and out of the crowds at Tottenham Court Road when I hear the faraway sound of a familiar piece on one of the tube station’s public pianos. What is it? I can’t quite tell. A few paces nearer and – yes, of course! It’s Una mattina, a piece I first encountered within the soundtrack of Intouchables, the 2011 French film of an unlikely friendship. Our piano-playing commuter has drawn quite a crowd, but when he’s done, we have a quick chat. He’s self-taught, he says: having heard the piece by accident on YouTube one day, he knew he had to learn the piano in order to play it. I thank him for his time and tell him I am on my way to interview the composer of Una mattina. I’ve never seen someone’s jaw drop so fast. That’s the power of Ludovico Einaudi.

But what is that power? What is so enthralling about this Italian-born pianist and composer that his concerts around the world sell out months ahead of time? Why does every album he