Music Critic Hannah Joint reviews the Ludovico Einaudi tribute Candlelight Concert at Birmingham’s St Philip’s Cathedral, describing it as a ‘unique and spellbinding wonderland’
The lights of the Christmas market drawing to a close shone through the stained glass windows of St Philip’s Cathedral in central Birmingham on Thursday evening, entering a spellbinding wonderland which was quite the contrast to the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. The spectacular venue was the perfect setting for a tribute to Italian pianist and composer, Ludovico Einaudi, part of Fever’s Candlelight Concert Series.
‘It was difficult to imagine that the place could become anymore magical’
Upon entry to the Cathedral, it was impossible to walk to your seat without taking pictures of the breath-taking scene, candles were placed on the floor surrounding a grand piano and a Christmas tree was lit up in the background adding to the already festive feel of the evening. It was difficult to imagine that the place could become anymore magical but that was until pianist, Maya Caskie took her seat in front of the piano and began to play.
Opening with Einaudi’s 2004 piece, Nuvole Bianche, the audience were enthralled as the heart-breaking melody seemed to reach every corner of the cathedral. Her talent was apparent from the opening notes of the composition and the intimate crowd were left in awe throughout the entire performance. This was followed by the most beautiful piece of the evening, Divenire. The combination of the setting, the notes from the piano and the way that the artist maintained the audience’s utter attention felt almost ethereal. The undoubtable highlight had to be Einaudi’s Experience, as Maya noted it was likely to be the piece that everybody was most familiar with, and she did not disappoint with her rendition.
The performance ended with I Giorni at which point audience members were permitted to take their phones out to capture memories of the evening and it was almost as if a spell was broken. The crowd had been too preoccupied with the entrancing evening that reality had near been forgotten until that moment. It was the perfect end to a unique night.
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