Contemporary Influences in "Classical" music?

So I had been listening to KDFC (the Bay Area classical station) for a little bit and they introduced me to a modern Italian composer named Ludovico Einaudi.  Einaudi's compositional style actually reminds me a little of George Winston, who I don't really construe as "classical", but since the station thinks it is (I guess he does more chamber stuff?) we call it that.  Einaudi does all forms of composition but I think primarily does piano stuff with maybe some strings on the side.  When I first heard a Ludovico Einaudi song though, I was reminded not of classical, but of a rather modern pop song... Perhaps Einaudi enjoys listening to that sort of thing...?  Dunno.  You see for yourself.

Pay attention to the main theme at 0:38, though it recurs throughout the piece.  Now compare:

Pay attention to the intro... 

Maybe it's me, but the resemblence is uncanny.