Ludovico Einaudi
Time Out

"Time Out" by Ludovico Einaudi was released in 1988 and marks his musical debut: a bold and courageous debut, as we are faced with a record of pure experimentation, consisting of noises and notes hinted at by various instruments and little more (following the lesson of that musical revolutionary, John Cage, in the 1960s).

The album opens with "Prima", which is just a brief intertwining of male and female voices in speeching; then continues with "Andante", a series of electronic noises lined up; "Rapido", despite the title, is an inquisitive and quite slow piece, structured around the same trumpet loop throughout its duration. "Immobile" is a piece for keyboard that is truly "immobile", in the sense that here, too, the musical variations are not many, always revolving around the same keyboard notes. "Adagio" is a piece for piano and saxophone, and finally here we have a hint of melody, even though it is almost cut short at its inception: it is already a germ of that masterpiece which will be, eight years later, the piece "Le onde", perhaps E's most well-known. "Presto" is another piece for saxophone and electronic keyboard that intertwine quite well throughout the piece, even if they repeat, as always, the same notes ad infinitum, varying a bit with various solos at the end. "Lento" is played for saxophone and accompanying orchestra, and is another very dark and inquisitive piece, following the footsteps of "Rapido". Whistles and noises dominate throughout the piece. "Moderato" is a piece for vibraphone and electronic instrumentation that starts fast, then slows down with the insertion of the piano. At this point, if you haven't fallen asleep half an hour ago, with this piece I believe you'll fall right into the world of Morpheus... We wake up a bit with "Teso", an almost rock-oriented piece with drums, electric guitar, bass, and electronic keyboard playing a good melody, perhaps a background for car games or anything speed-related, in my opinion...

The track continues with "Implacabile", featuring the same rock instrumentation but slower and more relaxing rhythms. The electric guitar here engages in convoluted and self-serving solos that evoke no emotion and are pure intellectual play. "Fondo" is a piece for solo oboe, with an underlay of electronic sounds at the end, and aims to evoke, with its dark and slow sound, the seabed, in my opinion: the intent is fully achieved, in my judgment. "Sospeso" is little more than a collection of noises and electronic sounds that call and respond from beginning to end, for a duration of (a full) four minutes. The drums, with the electronic bass, return in "Finale 1", which picks up the pace a bit from the previous piece, then passes into the very brief "Dopo", where the intertwined voices from the beginning return accompanied by the keyboard, and concludes with "Finale 2", where the Pan flute, keyboards, and bass always seem ready to explode at the start, until the last few minutes when the drums and electric guitars enter, playing different rhythms and accompanying the other instruments in a "crescendo" finale.

To be honest, "Time Out" is a demanding record, complex, filled with electronic experiments that continuously engage E.'s music: it is certainly not an easy listening album. But if you're up for challenging yourself and your "classical" concept of music, you might try listening: it will nonetheless be an enriching experience, in my opinion.