Pianist performs in Arctic as glacier breaks apart behind him

Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi has added his voice to a Greenpeace campaign for protection of the Arctic region, by performing on a floating ocean platform in front of a glacier.

The acclaimed pianist and composer was filmed playing one of his own pieces on the floating platform, against the backdrop of Norway's Wahlenbergbreen glacier.

As Einaudi plays, part of the ice collapses behind him, and more can be heard cracking. 

The performance was filmed as part of the Save the Arctic campaign.

"The Arctic is melting faster and faster. Over 7.5 million people from all over the world have already raised their voices to call for its protection," the campaign website states.

"Because of its biodiversity, because the Arctic regulates the weather of our entire planet and because we should preserve it for future generations.

"We have a chance to achieve a protected area within the international waters of the Arctic Ocean. Help us make it happen."