27 February 2015 (gig)
28 February 2015
Running onto the stage in typically exuberant manner Giovanni Allevi was greeted with rapturous applause from his adoring (generally Italian) public.
He did though speak in English the whole night following his familiar pattern of explanation… composition. His first was a new piece, which came into being “while locked in a Japanese hotel with a temperature of 39 degrees”. A light, fluffy offering he then turned to the audience for the elongated applause which punctuated the night. Italians would probably clap all day if you gave them a chance. Another composition ‘Sacred Love’ followed with ‘Asteroid 11561’ next, named for him by the space agency “and although it’s just a stone I imagine it to be full of lush vegetation” he explained with breathless excitement.
Dressed casually in jeans and a black t-shirt with a stream of red love hearts shooting across the top Allevi enjoys a relaxed rapour with his audience. His manner is conciously low status, nervous giggles and a child like exuberance typifies his interactions with the crowd.
I’ve been lucky enough to see Allevi before in Bologna a few years ago and even grabbed a quick interview with him prior to the gig which gave me a glimpse of another more pensive, studious and meticulous side to his character.
His compositions are deeply thought out and all accessibly bite-sized.
‘Nothing New’ is a sweet ballad, a soundscape crying out for a delicate scene in a yet-to-be-written film score.
‘The Other Side Of Me’ sees the ancient and contemporary collide, while ‘Playroom’ was written after feeling homesick for his two children. More explanations followed some humorous, some almost profound, and some just snapshots in time.
Allevi seems capable of capturing an audience that is uniquely his own, having left classical mainstream to invent his own brand of easy listening piano-poetry. He has the ability to tune into their sensibilities and offer them his own homegrown proposition.
As the night draws closer to its conclusion, the encores begin and his runs off and back on stage gain frequency. After having taken the applause and the flowers ‘Back To Life’ is the final piece. As he explains, “standing on the stage next to my piano I learned that my strength is my fragility and discovering that has been like starting again.”
With a public this adoring my bet is that he’ll be standing beside his piano for a long time yet. One to check out if you love the piano and are looking for something quietly unique.
