Ludovico Einaudi - Fly (Tugba Karaahmetli)

 Link to Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LRwYKpV-6A

Ludovico Einaudi - Fly 

The best way to compare the structure of “Fly” is with life itself. By that I mean that the structure of this piece could be imagined as a kind of journey with a beginning and an end. Self-evidently, every journey has a beginning and an end, but for me, the beginning of this piece represents the beginning of a new life, whether in form of an individual’s birth or even the formation of a new planet or star. Thus, the first tones of the piece can be imagined as the first steps of a baby. This assumption is also underlined as there are no hectic tones but rather mild ones in the beginning. If the structure of the track were something tangible, then the consistency of it would be soft and not really heavy either. This lightness of the, let us say object, would have a light or even pastel color. To be even more precise, I imagine that the exact color would be a pastel yellow or pastel orange. However, we should keep in mind that this structure and color will change throughout the piece, as life will form the object and the individual’s life. As for the rhythm, I can say that it is steady without any abrupt changes. Changes can be heard rather in the middle part of the piece. Another thing I noticed at the beginning of the piece is that the piano tones sound similar in the sense that it is more of a stepping back and forth than a chaotic mess. The structure of the back and forth that I previously mentioned reminded me of pirouettes that are exercised at moderate speed. Twenty seconds before the end of the first minute, the feeling of melancholy creeps up and one almost expects a change to come soon, whereby the feeling of distrust also arises. After the first minute, the piece and thus its shape and color begin to change. Thus, the baby is no longer a baby, it has evolved.

The first twenty seconds of the middle part can be imagined as a thick and also heavy blanket that spreads out onto the listener. It is difficult to break free from the melody, precisely because of this captivating heaviness. Correspondingly, the object that I mentioned in the first part changes its consistency. In the middle part of the piece, the consistency of the object is no longer as light and soft as it was at the beginning. On the contrary, the consistency becomes tough and is no longer easy to shape, and accordingly, the object also becomes heavier. The color of the object also changes now. Initially, the color of the object had yellowish-orange pastel tones, these are now livelier but also catch the eye in a certain way. I imagine it as a reddish to dark red color now. Although this color is bursting with energy, it has a dark aura about it which, in my opinion, represents the tragedies of life. Thus, if we look at the piece as the representation of an individual´s life again, the child or the baby transformed now into an adult. The first change in the piece thus represents the first formative experience of this individual. As already mentioned with the red color and its dark aura I would definitely rate the individual´s experience as a rather negative one also because of the dense and impenetrable melody in the middle half of the piece. This feeling of impenetrability and heaviness also reminds me of the attempt to run underwater. However, this heaviness is not intended to represent grief or sorrow, but rather a bittersweet melancholy. The back and forth that I mentioned at the beginning can also be experienced in the middle part. I still imagine it as pirouettes but this time they are faster and even a bit furious. The pirouettes can now fully engage in the piece and are not held back by the innocence and pureness of the child which was the case at the beginning of the piece. After two minutes, the middle part slowly comes to an end, however, there is still a turning point. I imagine the tones of the piano at the turning point as a kind of spiral staircase that goes higher and higher and at the same time, each stair starts to turn in circles. Each step of the stair represents here the previously mentioned pirouettes. However, now the tones of the piano no longer represent a single pirouette. The spiral staircase represents several pirouettes and thus also several individuals. These pirouettes could be also imagined as the individual´s loved ones. At the very beginning of the piece and therefore also at the beginning of the individual’s life, a more harmonious and also quieter atmosphere was given. With the beginning of adulthood and thus in the middle part of the piece, this calm atmosphere turns into something more chaotic which could be represented exactly by these pirouettes. To be even more precise, the spiral staircase can be also seen as a metaphor for heaven and death which means that the individual’s time has come.

After the third minute, the last section of the piece starts. One can quickly tell the difference, as the busy atmosphere of the middle part turns into a lonely one. The difference from the beginning, however, is that sadness and tiredness also resonate in the tones now. A dull but high-pitched sound can also be heard that lasts until the end. For me, this dull sound could be interpreted as an indication that death is slowly approaching the individual. Additionally, this sound has something ghostly that goes under the skin. Figuratively speaking, this sound could be seen as a kind of cold mist that slowly but surely affects the view. Additionally, the consistency of the object that was addressed at the very beginning also changes. It is no longer soft and pliant as in the beginning, but also not tough as it was in the middle part of the piece. What is left is a hard mass that cannot be changed. In my imagination this mass looks like a smooth granite stone which is also very cold. The color of the object is also no longer vibrant; the previously mentioned dark aura took over the interior and is now obsidian black. Additionally, one can still hear the back and forth of the pirouette, but it subsides until it can no longer be heard. The end of the pirouette slowly indicates the death of the individual, so that in the end one is only able to hear the dull sound until this too fades away and the piece comes to an end.