As tensions rise in Italy because of massive migration from across the Mediterranean, composer Ludovico Einaudi’s music is a reminder that the cultures along Mare Nostrum have been linked for many millennia. Einaudi builds from the trance-and-dance music of southern Italy, part of the Greek world in ancient times, to suggest affinities with North African and Anatolian traditions. The music sometimes sounds like acoustic Philip Glass with repetitive cycles gradually gathering momentum. Subtle electronics are woven into the mix along with spry melodies and choral singing to conjure village rituals of long ago. Some numbers cross over into rock with driving tempos played on ancient stringed instruments and Arabic percussion.
