Mark O'Connor's "Appalachia Waltz" (Feat. Yo-Yo Ma) Loved Composition For Strings

Mark O'Connor's beautiful 'Appalachia Waltz' featuring Yo-Yo Ma on cello, and Edgar Meyer on bass.
On O'Connor's 'Appalachia Waltz'
"What Bach did was, he took all these dances from all the known world around him and put them in suite form. Old dances, new dances, courtly dances, peasant dances. And what Mark did was, he took this piece that is somewhat based on the Norwegian fiddling style, with the drone and that, wrote it in Santa Fe, and called it `Appalachia Waltz.' It's just so moving. It's traditional. It is new. It comes from many different places, but it's authentic. So after a long Bach evening, rather than play more Bach, this is the perfect thing." -Yo-Yo Ma
APPALACHIA WALTZ
"I composed "Appalachia Waltz" in 1993, while sitting in a cabin in the Santa Fe desert! I was writing a portion of my second concerto there and was working on the "Trail Of Tears" movement (named after the forced migration of the Cherokee from Tennessee) hoping to identify with some of the Native American culture in New Mexico. It had been long gone from Tennessee culture for 150 years. Then, all of the sudden, this piece appeared in my head with all of the doublestops and drones, all at once! In 15 minutes it was written. It seemed much too intimate for my concerto though, so I tucked it away and introduced it to Yo-Yo Ma a couple of years later. It turned out to be the impetus (and title inspiration) for the two projects we recorded.
It is one of my most loved pieces and I like to think it is for this reason; If it's played for folk musicians, they most often think it's classical music. When played for classical musicians, they most often think of it as folk music. Appalachia Waltz seems to exist in the middle of places. Each listener is embracing it on quite personal and maybe very different terms. When Yo-Yo performs it unaccompanied as an encore to his Bach Suite recitals, there are those who think it is old and German! When I play it unaccompanied in Southern California, it reminds people of their grandparents back in the mountains of North Carolina. Neither is true but this occurrence is one of the most important bridges I have attempted to cross; "Appalachia Waltz" has become one of my most important compositions, because it helped me create and cross yet another bridge...between audience and performer.
It's a bridge of trust. As a performer, my hope always is that the audience has trust enough to meet me in the music. Audience...performer...music... we are all elements in an equation. When those elements are "right," there's no feeling like it! -Mark O'Connor
October 1st, 2001 (in the days after 9/11)
"Robert J. Harth, the executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, began the evening with an eloquent tribute to the victims, families and rescuers. Then Mr. Ma appeared, to perform two works for solo cello, starting with ''Appalachia Waltz'' by his colleague, the violinist and composer Mark O'Connor. In Mr. Ma's beautifully subdued performance, this tender work, steeped in Appalachian folk music, had an ancient modal resonance, almost like medieval music. Then Mr. Ma played Bach's Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor. If you are looking for something to depend on at this time of loss and confusion, Yo-Yo Ma playing the Bach cello suites will do just fine."
-Anthony Tommasini for the New York Times
Filmed at Lincoln Center in New York City, NY for 'Great Performances at Lincoln Center' - 2000.
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[@willnevada1]

Mark - my wife and I caught your Appalachian Christmas performance at the Moore Theatre December 2015. When you concluded the Appalachian Waltz duet with your wife Maggie I turned to my wife and told her "that's how I feel about you". It was, for us, the perfect expression of love between two people that could be rendered via sound. We were both welling up with tears, the piece is SO beautiful. Thank you for a perfect memory.

[@heatheranderson864]

Your comment just made me cry. That's such a lovely sentiment. If I ever had a man say that to me about a piece this touching, as music is a thing I do for a living and love to my very core, I would be his forever. I imagine your wife and you are a beautiful symphony together if this piece moved you to say such a thing.

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hello

[@lindascanlan6317]

How wonderful

[@timdanyo898]

Beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that.

[@latetotheparty7551]

I heard this on the radio for the first time today (2 June 2023) and was immediately struck by its beauty. Thankfully the display showed the name because "Now Playing" had no clue, of course.

[@Shrewsclues_75]

This piece always gives me chills hearing it. It touches that part of the soul that doesn’t poke its head out to often.

[@MelBearns]

This is one of the most transcendental pieces of music ever written, played to perfection by three masters. Proof that when we reach for the divine we can rise as high as we want to. Thank you Mark, Edgar and Yo-Yo for this true gem.

[@Wizardofgosz]

Yes. Perfection.

[@heatheranderson864]

It really is transcendental. Have you heard Misty Moonlight Waltz? That one is quite pretty too.

[@MelBearns]

Yes, indeed it is!

[@mrzog12]

Been play violin my whole life. Heard countless works and performances. This is my all time favorite.

[@patmcintire1536]

I still can't listen to this without tears misting my eyes.......thank you

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hi

[@NanaTee4770]

My ancestors are from the mountains of NC and this is what I hear when I hear them calling....

[@molly5639]

Thank you so much... This is my PTSD THERAPY. 🙏❤️🥳

[@colliedogboy]

As I listened, alone in my room, my head slowly bowed and tears slid one by one down my cheeks. This music is beautiful beyond words.

[@Gotham_Moon]

+Perry Mike It really touches the soul, this piece, doesn't it?

[@pbjsilverstudio4882]

Six year later, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, its touch my heart that deeply as well. 🙏🏼❤️

[@sandocala11]

I was listening to NPR Buffalo yesterday at 3 p.m. when this came on. I sat and listened, rapt and wholly engaged to the end note. This is the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard.

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hi

[@Woundtootight]

............although, when I first heard my beloved son play this on his bass, I was so moved, I asked him to play it again. He transposed the violin and the cello by ear, yeah, I shed tears...

[@ethanmathison9957]

SO VERY BEAUTIFUL THAT A POET'S WORDS ARE NOT ADEQUATE! TEN GOLDEN STARS!

[@krashunburn]

When I was a boy I would explore the deep verdant forests I was raised in, occasionally leaning up against a huge evergreen to just pause and think. I am now old with bad knees and tired bones. This music takes me back to those days. Thank you, gentlemen, for making me feel young again.

[@aburrage7697]

Do you remember the smell of the woods

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hello Tony 🌹🌹🌹

[@jonahchilton6553]

This must be the most beautiful piece of music ever written

[@boblewis8838]

The finest, most sensitive ensemble performance I've ever seen. It simply could not have been played any better.

[@edjones41]

You can almost feel the sweetness of the morning Appalachian morning dew to calm us and the wonderful heights in the emotion of the strings so sweet they almost cry out to us. Blessed peace is sweetly achieved and the heart is filled with good memories of my visits there from my youth.

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Eddie hello, I have missed you, wow longtime

[@mommat4435]

The sheer beauty of this makes me weep. It puts me at peace. One day I will pass on and I hope they play this for me before they send me off.

[@lindascanlan6317]

Why do I cry whenever I hear this....

[@Hannelore17]

One of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard. The first time it came on I stopped in my tracks, almost mesmerized. The intersection of my beloved classical and folk styles, this tells such a story, and played by such masters, who could resist listening in? Bravo!

[@elsiev]

+Hannelore17 I had the same experience. Stopped my car and sat mesmerized!

[@Gotham_Moon]

+Hannelore17 Me, too. I've put it on repeat and just listened for an hour or more... so beautiful!

[@LouisHarris-ku7ow]

I heard this on the radio shortly after moving to Texas. I came from the East Coast of Canada and had quite a journey in between. I head my whole life and that of my family and the whole dream and failure of the North American project when I heard this piece. But somehow, in all the listlessness and sorrow, the hope never dies. This is an inspired melody. Thank you for mediating it to us.

[@KTSACTO57]

I first heard this song as it was played by Mark on a Prairie Home Companion. I remember it like it was yesterday and it was some 20 years ago. I had fallen asleep and awoke as this wonderful tune wafted from the speakers, enveloping me in a sound so loving. I arose from my chair, walked over to the stereo and sat on the floor, directly between both speakers, eyes closed, swaying with the music. Some things you can never reproduce. It is a memory that I cherish.

[@cacampbell3654]

Heard of Mark O'Connor for the first time, THIS morning, out on the Canadian prairies with nothing but the swallows and the wind in the poplars, for miles! Thanks to Julie Nasrallah, host of CBC Radio Two's program Tempo! Thanks to everyone who created all this for all of us (I opened all the windows so the music would make it's way outside! 😍)!

[@amandamika8194]

I heard it this morning on my way to work in Buffalo, NY through the Canadian station! fell in love and listened throughout the day. happy to hear someone else was feeling the same!

[@Canuckmom128]

Breathtaking! Damn ...that Mark O'Connor can do things with fiddle that are other-worldly. What a gorgeous composition. And ya gotta love Yo Yo! Look at the admiration in his face while he plays and watches Mark. Great collaboration.

[@BelleTolles]

yo- yo ma's expression of transcendent bliss captures it all for me. except mine included tears.

[@camotero1]

I cannot begin to express how truly beautiful and inspiring this piece is. Breathtaking.

[@joecarter3840]

My grandmother and mother were of Appalachian heritage. You helped me realize how much I miss them and how much they meant to me. You also helped me be with them in spirit. Thank you so very much.

[@jack887]

Makes me proud to be from the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains! Reminds me of the mist rising up from the valleys in the morning. What beauty and magical power this song and these musicians have.

[@Kuheylan_Istanbul]

Thank you for the wonderful sound. I always imagine endless grasslands whenever I hear this piece. As if I return there someday. It is a very big healing for me.

[@fmy2006]

Pure and beautiful notes will free your tears and open your heart!

[@collumww]

Is this a tender late afternoon in the rolling hills, not quite in the mountains? Springtime, I'm thinking. A little haze, a warm snuggle peaking out as winter is pushed back for the year. The music takes me...

[@groverhardin1906]

Born in upper east TN. Been to NYC, Paris, Seattle,Atlanta (qualifications) I've heard nothing more beautiful.

[@etatum2866]

Always loved this piece. We had it played at our wedding. Can't get any better than MOC and YoYo Ma.

[@reid2hai]

Mark is so gifted it's ridiculous! I started listening to his music when we were both 20, and he already had half a dozen albums out. I never dreamed he would go on to write full blown orchestral works like he's done, but way back when listening to False Dawn, and Meanings Of, I could tell he was an incredibly intelligent and creative musician. Bravo on an amazing career thus far!

[@lindafields4613]

The masters are at work bring the soulful sweetness of an Appalachian morning and evening to lull us to wonderful heights of emotion so sweet you cry. Blessed peace is achieved and a heart so full....

[@kavalere]

saw this performance at CSO back in the late 90's. Of course it brought me to tears. I'll never forget the girl behind me saying in the most complimentary way: "OHHHH MY GOOOOOD" when they finished. Its was beautiful..

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

🙏🙏🙏👍👍

[@EricRoss57]

I don't know how it could get any better than this. What a masterful performance of a beautiful composition.

[@kathleenserotazwack5300]

Absolutely wonderful. Stopped me in my ... whatever I was doing...

[@BrayanR918]

Marc o Conner came to my school last month and we played with him and then we played for him, he's my orchestra teachers friend

[@HerbertWeidner]

I am a german composer ... and I must say this gripped my musical heart. Bravo !

[@elisabeth6431]

Lieb geschrieben.

[@markmclawhorn9592]

Thank you all for making this. Forever. 🌟🌜🌞🌛🌟

[@mubeensgh]

wow... words cannot describe this piece of music.

[@user-pj1uy3zx7h]

Amazing EVERY TIME I revisit or share it to anyone I know needing inspiration. These musicians know the practice of learning and performing music. It shows in their faces as well their performances. ♥️

[@TomKaren94]

Some people stand up and yell 'bravo!' All I can say to this is 'beyond words.'

[@peterherman4078]

Beautiful!! Thank you Mark for bringing Heaven to earth

[@3834bbl]

AMEN BRO ...

[@losiento2]

This is my favorite performance of one of my all time favorite pieces. Thank You three so much for this deep, moving, simply lovely interpretation.

[@harrylampton]

Every time I hear this I am swept away again...beautiful and mesmerising.

[@elnasell5113]

Beautiful beyond words!

[@stephanieshorey]

I can't help but fill up with emotion when I hear this

[@Enlimdr]

I was looking for O'Connor bluegrass ( The American seasons ) .... but this much more sublime... a touch of heaven

[@Woundtootight]

....to be played at the closing of my casket at my funeral. To know me, you would understand why....

[@ericthiessen7060]

I feel the same way exactly...

[@tobyconn2045]

Because of Daniel Pearl?

[@volvacations2186]

OMG! I thought I was the only one. I am also having it and Simple Gifts played at my funeral/memorial service.

[@volvacations2186]

@@tobyconn2045 What is the connection between Appalachian Waltz and Daniel Pearl?

[@pbwbrian53]

For me, it’s a tossup between this one and Mark’s version of Ashokan Farewell.

[@smwildmon01]

Ah beautiful! I had been hunting for something bluegrass inspired for the ceremony music at my wedding, when I finally came across this. I love the hauntingly lovely sound a fiddle is capable of making. Reminds me of the woods behind my house growing up. Misty morning barefoot on my dirt road. :)

[@cindyflores3090]

Im rewatching Sex & the City, and this is the song playing when Aiden proposed to Carrie. I instantly recognized it.

[@pcdriver]

Very, very beautiful.

[@SusanSollenberger]

The music makes my heart ache.

[@ClassicalGuitar55]

Defines the true living spirit of the U.S.

[@peterherman4078]

I cried. So much feeling it reached deep, right to my core...thank you for touching my Soul

[@lakelly55]

I love the musically talented, I love those who are, those who pursue their talent even more! Thank you Yo-Yo!

[@fonix32]

Yoyo Ma's eyesight and smile looks like he is looking at his lover :)

[@annpardue4669]

He is! He's visualizing his love of music!

[@lakelly55]

I adore Yo-Yo, have for years!

[@RainaEmeral]

Extremely beautiful.

[@schizoozy]

TY, this is my home. beautiful and loved.

[@edgarmeyer1522]

I have come a long way to this point and right from the very beginning you my fans have been solidly behind me It’s been a landslide but we always pull through together,your love and support are amazing. Believe in your self you can always achieve your dreams I have an upcoming project and your support and love is the drive I love love love you all ❤️

[@geoffreycornett5186]

Can't beat the best.

[@lindascanlan6317]

I love you I love this piece It's restorative ......

[@marcialandakanebeaulieu9229]

Lovely.

[@Sibirjachka1]

Thank you very much!!! Beautiful music!!!

[@ell0185]

Love all pieces that yo yo ma played

[@Wizardofgosz]

Perfection.

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hello

[@lillebird]

breathtaking!!! beautiful

[@TheTwiolins]

wonderful!

[@SkipWay]

well done, Mark. It's a beautiful piece well played by 3 all-stars!

[@ryanfield1891]

Stunning...so thanks, from Canada.

[@annejacksonharpist8876]

I have in my playlist!!! Adore it!!!!♥️♥️♥️

[@jrsworld2515]

So beautiful

[@srdill]

Spellbinding, defined. Kudos to the film team as well!

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hello Steve Dill is been long a time now?🌹🌹

[@wanderingsemantics7266]

What a beautiful memory. Thank you for sharing Tony.

[@jaimeleal7461]

Great and inspiring music for this holiday!

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Awesome! 🌹🌹, Jaime let talk

[@beccasangels]

so beautiful :)

[@AriannaCunningham]

This sounds beautiful! I think this ensemble would play an arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major for Violin, Cello, and Bass (Also a Piano or Harpsichord or Organ). Maybe I can arrange this myself on MuseScore. Bravo Yo-Yo Ma, and the composer, Mark O'Connor. I heard this piece before when Yo-Yo Ma did his own cover of this song.

[@heatheranderson864]

Mark sells this piece on his website for trio -- violin/viola/cello or violin/cello/bass. No need to arrange it if you have $17 USD. :) A good price. I plan to buy it for use at weddings and compose out a fourth optional part for quartet. I did a quartet arrangement of an excerpt of his "Misty Moon Waltz" which is just as pretty to insert into a Appalachian medley.

[@apollonmusagete]

A moving work performed with great depth of feeling.

[@Fridaoviedo]

Ensamble perfecto para una hermosa melodia......

[@aburrage7697]

Peacefully listening

[@larryrobertdevine7060]

Hello Mark I am enjoying your music a great de al. I would like to see you and Maggie in concert. Thank you .z

[@HerbertWeidner]

Very fine music, indeed

[@ptmom343]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting.

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Hello

[@miltonwelch4177]

Ssshhhs there. I am listening.to this!

[@AlamoCityCello]

incredibly beautiful

[@Flickentanzofficial]

unglaublich wunderschön!!!

[@jayjohnstonmsma]

fabulous...

[@marceljaouen1943]

Merci!

[@pbjsilverstudio4882]

My gawd!

[@ericcarlson3004]

Damn!

[@Manolian]

Biutiful.

[@danielmayle]

this song makes me want to confess my love to this one girl..but i can't..so i won't lol

[@RicLanders]

Beautiful! Inspirational! Personal on so many different levels. Truly a fine bridge you have created here Mark. Thank you!

[@jen8rve]

Beyond beautiful-sublime. What kind of violin do you use? Exquisite tone

[@garydavidderby]

This helps my toothache go away

[@lindseybuckingham5639]

Gary your toothache is over

[@WisconsinCentralProductions]

my music teacher did this in class and at the end everyone clapped

[@Priemula77]

ye!

[@yelassinacoulibaly819]

🌈❤️❤️❤️🌈

[@aburrage7697]

Where can I buy a CD with this arrangement on it