Ludovico Einaudi, an Italian pianist, composed an arrangement to raise awareness for Arctic preservation for Greenpeace. Watch him play on a floating platform in the Arctic Ocean in Norway. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

World renowned Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi has performed a historic concert, set on a floating platform in the arctic ocean. against the icy backdrop of the Wahlenbergbreen Glacier in Svalbard, Norway, Einaudi has played one of his own compositions ‘elegy for the arctic’ for the first time. a monumental early retreat of sea ice as a result of climate change allowed for the construction of an artificial iceberg made from more than 300 triangles of wood, on which a grand piano sits.

 Greenpeace holds a historic performance with pianist Ludovico Einaudi on the Arctic Ocean
video courtesy of greenpeacespain

Created in collaboration with greenpeace, the timing of the performance coincides with a week-long meeting of the OSPAR commission in Tenerife, Spain — a platform which could see protected areas set up in international arctic waters. through his performance, Einaudi adds his voice to those of eight million people from across the world demanding protection for the arctic, from threats like oil drilling and destructive fishing.

 ‘I could see the purity and fragility of this area with my own eyes and interpret a song I wrote to be played upon the best stage in the world,’ einaudi said from onboard the arctic sunrise. ‘it is important that we understand the importance of the arctic, stop the process of destruction and protect it.’

The project is set against the icy backdrop of the Wahlenbergbreen glacier in Svalbard, Norway
image © pedro armestre / Greenpeace

Einaudi played one of his own compositions ‘Elegy for the Arctic’ for the first time
image © Pedro Armestre / Greenpeace

A grand piano sits on an artificial iceberg made from more than 300 triangles of wood
image © pedro armestre / greenpeace

Scientists have warned that the Arctic has been thawing much faster than expected. Those changes have potentially serious implications for the world’s climate, for wildlife and for individual economies.

“The Arctic ocean is the least protected sea in the world, its high seas currently have no legal safeguards,” Greenpeace wrote in releasing the video of Einaudi’s performance. “As the ice cover decreases with rising temperatures, this unique area is losing its frozen shield, leaving it exposed to reckless exploitation, destructive fishing trawlers and risky oil drilling.”

This week in Spain, representatives from more than a dozen European governments are meeting to discuss ways to protect and manage the northeast Atlantic Ocean, including the Arctic.

Delegates from 15 European countries are meeting at the commission to discuss the management of the northeast Atlantic, including the Arctic. The commission, which has existed since the 1970s, has acknowledged that despite the low population and isolation of the Arctic region, “human activities such as fishing and offshore petroleum production remain significant.”

By Brady Dennis June 21 at 1:41 PM

source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/

original story HERE

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