Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi floats in front of a glacier as part of latest Greenpeace campaign.

Italian pianist, composer and Decca recording artist Ludovico Einaudi has performed the premiere performance of his new work, Elegy for the Arctic, floating in front of a glacier as part of Greenpeace’s Save the Arctic campaign.

Elegy for the Arctic is inspired by the beauty of the Arctic and the threats that it currently faces from climate change. The new work was performed on a grand piano, balanced on an artificial iceberg in front of the magnificent Wahlenbergbreen glacier in Svalbard, Norway. As Einaudi plays his poignant music – without gloves – sheets of ice break off the glacier and crash into the ocean.

Einaudi was transported to the Wahlenbergbreen glacier on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, along with a petition signed by eight million people. “Being here has been a great experience,” Einaudi said, speaking from the ship. “I could see the purity and fragility of this area with my own eyes and interpret a song I wrote to be played in the best stage in the world. It is important that we understand the importance...