Spiegel im Spiegel for Cello and Piano (Arvo Pärt)

Leonhard Roczek - Cello
Herbert Schuch - Piano
Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (1978)
Mozart Week Salzburg 2014

[@claireford-hutchinson2841]

My husband had Parkinson's disease for more than 20yrs and then was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour 5 weeks ago. Yesterday morning before he died in a Palliative care ward,where he had wonderful care for 12 days, I put radio 3 on and this wonderful piece of music was playing. It was so calming. Just about 2 and a half hours later I was with my darling husband when he died peacefully.

[@An-Alien-On-Earth]

Sorry for your loss x

[@Yowzoe]

Thank you for sharing your lovely memory, which you will always have. It’s beautiful, like this piece. My good friend, who I took care of for 8 years, died at age 80 last February. I would play beautiful calming pieces such as this one for her every night as I slowly put her to bed. It was an act of love, and we both knew it. As I hear this piece, I feel her.

[@augustinedennis4865]

My dear wife died of a brain tumour,Glioblastoma ,20 years ago.i have spent all my professional life as a surgeon.i am long retired.i have never seen anyone die so painfully as my late ,dear wife Rosemary.RIP

[@-cz6nl]

plpl

[@robertholt3996]

So sorry for your loss. I hope he lives on in your heart-through this music and in many other ways. ❤️

[@vksarkisyan]

My country is in the middle of a terrible war and genocide of my people and despite all we still take classes and go to uni. But during one of my classical music courses my professor canceled the scheduled lecture and introduced us to this piece and told us to react on paper. A huge amount of anger and grief spilled out into the writing and during the whole 10 minutes I would wait for an unexpected loud instrument or the whole orchestra stepping in as in many classical pieces but I’ve waited and there was nothing. It was quite a weird feeling that in all that noise and panic around there was something so constant, stable and without a jump scare. The war is still going and one of those little islands where you can escape without being triggered it’s this piece. Thank you. #armeniaisunderattack

[@tracysauvage1351]

Peace to all those under attack....Gaza and Ukraine and the list goes on and on....what kind of species are we?... Tears from Ireland....to all the bombed people of the world.....

[@sandraalmeida4088]

​@@tracysauvage1351😢

[@MarcusDrabon]

❤

[@tracysauvage1351]

Hi. I've been busy with Gaza. You never said what country you were from... I can't believe this is still going on. I've done everything I can think of short of going on hunger strike. Speigel I'm Speigel just about sums it up. It's only gotten worse, worse than I'd ever imagined. Hope you're doing well. From Ireland with despair for Gaza.

[@JuanJoseViaderoRivas-zh3gk]

Hope you and your family stay safe and can live your lives in peace forever

[@angelapalsha4162]

I started learning the cello at a late age (62) because I've always loved its deep tone. However, I stored my cello in the closet for 4-5 years after losing my husband to lung cancer. He always helped carry my cello to and from the car for lessons. One day, while on my knees in the living room, I heard you playing this music. I don't know how long I cried. It inspired me to want to play that music too. So, I retrieved my cello from the closet and resumed lessons. Later, I asked my cello teacher for the sheet music. I've listened to many musicians and instruments playing this piece, but I love the way you play it the best. Thank you for such beautiful music.❤

[@davehollingsworth8810]

Hello Angelapalsha, I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I think this piece rates in my top 3 favorite classical pieces of all time. Simply beautiful. P.S. I'm so glad to heard you took up your cello again.

[@RAWlifeHealth]

They say the cello is the closet to the human vocal. It’s my favourite instrument and this piece is perfect for it. - I’m a mental health professional and I use this for mindfulness meditation and breath work with clients whom have difficulty going to sleep. ❤

[@hellam.3774]

In my next live I become a Cello Artist. I know it even now 👍😍

[@angelapalsha4162]

​@@davehollingsworth8810 Thank you for the encouragement.I recently listened to Yo-Yo Ma playing this piece. I loved his beautiful cello sound, but his interpretation of the music was a little different from the way I like it. I was thinking, if Leonhard Roczek had Yo-Yo Ma's cello and played this music, what would it sound like? Also, I loved the way Hebert Schuch plays the piano; it really sounds like a bell.

[@user-qr3lf3ns8j]

I am 20months along the mourning for my sweet wife. I picture myself in a dark damp cave, there is a distant opening and a tiny shaft of light illuminates a drip of water, the piano. I am the cello who's time passes sadly and so slowly and one day will catch up with the pace of the world, but not yet!

[@DG-mr7qo]

My wife had just died weeks before I heard this, for thte first time (at 73). I was in my kitchen and it brought me to my knees: I just stopped everything that I was doing. So calming, so quiet. It made me sad and happy at the same time. Someone in the "comments" said that they were crying and smiling at the same time: I seems to do that to me each time I listen to this. I always feel calmer after listening. If everyone in the world would listen to this, then I cannot believe that we would have wars. Bravo Roczek and Schuch.

[@jandickinson4422]

Amen

[@MarcusDrabon]

❤

[@PlayItAgainLouder]

The cello breathes, while the piano's heart beats peacefully.

[@BrodieScott27]

Wow! I was already crying but this just floored me. Perfection.

[@KevinBeach2]

Well expressed. Beautiful.

[@danielbeetsma6118]

Well said!!

[@johnrowlands5655]

Amazing insight.

[@mikeniedfeldt4648]

Perfectly put

[@Istaphobic]

"You cannot direct the wind -- but you can adjust your sail." ~ Arvo Pärt. Beautiful.

[@cacciato69]

so many life passages , times to recall the elegance and wisdom of Part

[@Fminus104]

Aye, - there´s even an old German sailor´s saying, that translates into: "Man holds the helm but the Lord directs the wind." Same wisdom right there.

[@p.vaughan3963]

Thanks

[@buzzlightyear1191]

Nice 👍

[@stephaniekielar5445]

.wxidiâiii

[@sandib3793]

I recently had a heart attack, surgery .. and now waiting and hopeful that a new issue has not surfaced. I come to listen to this piece when I'm distressed. It calms my heart, calms my soul.. allows me to breathe. 💜

[@mikehollingworth2262]

oh......tuck off

[@rawdaaljawhary4174]

I hope you are recovering and regaining your strength. Take heart, dear one! Be gentle and compassionate with yourself in recovery. You are a gift to the world. You can pull through this. 🦋

[@harsh9674]

I hope you are doing fine❤

[@johnsitter3928]

Wishing you good health and beautiful music.

[@JohnSmith-rg5nz]

Wishing you the best of health!

[@LeeC-sp1yg]

The most beautiful piece of music I've ever heard in my life.

[@cellopets]

This piece, and how it is played here, and all your comments, are so moving that I'm sitting here and crying and smiling at the same time. Thank God for music and for good people.

[@berryseinfeld6772]

Same.

[@davidgoss1736]

Amen Ingrid

[@Easyfilm84]

Same.

[@Easyfilm84]

I love you Ingrid Brock. And I love you Berry Seinfeld. And I love you David Goss.

[@anitacory4762]

Thank Arvo Paert

[@ajohnmullins9852]

So calming, soothing, peaceful. That’s the way I want to go.

[@MrWestbrom1968]

Me too, but not just yet.

[@chthonic7943]

Ever since I watched my mother die five months ago, caring for my father (who has severe dementia) has prevented me, it seems, from mourning her death and his slow decline. Perhaps until now. I wept buckets of tears while listening to this and readying the comments.

[@user-zz3xu1bi5c]

The night before my mother died, this version of Spiegel im Spiegel came on the radio. For quite a while, her breathing had become more erratic, louder. Within seconds of this music playing, her breathing became quieter, calmer, more measured. She died the next morning and I was able to be with her at that moment. Spiegel im Spiegel (sadly not this recording) was played at the beginning and end of her funeral. Like so many others that have commented here, I cry, I smile, and I am so moved every time I listen to this utterly sublime, life affirming recording.

[@MarcusDrabon]

❤

[@train4905]

❤

[@juhis_oksanen]

Humankind has reached very beautiful things. Moonlandings, pyramides and music like this. In my opinion, this kind of music is the highest point of human intelligence.

[@porclino]

I love the expressions on Leonhard Roczek's face as plays his cello. He's so deeply feeling his music. I saw the same expression on the face of our postal delivery guy some years ago as he came to our house, he was listening to music on his earbuds as he worked, and as he came up the steps to our house I saw that his eyes were closed, and at that moment he was completely at one with the music. Music knows no bounds, the cellist, the postman. At that moment, they were the same. 🙏💜

[@LollyJK1]

Four years ago, I spent the last week of my brother's life taking care of him in his apt. When I flew back to my home, I saw this song on a playlist on the airplane tv. It was the first time I had ever heard it. I sat quietly weeping already missing my brother.

[@johnkooloos1463]

Sorry for your loss Fella, sincere condolences.

[@CUITKIN]

10 years ago my brother's first grandchild was born. She was not thriving, her body could not get rid of fluids and her breathing was not regulated, it was ragged and on and off. The family was told to not hope. My brother got a recording of this music and told the staff in the infant ICU to play it constantly next to her. Gradually her breathing came to match the steady slow rythm of this music and her body began to function normally. He acredited this music. She is now a healthy beautiful girl who loves to dance.

[@user-kd4jq1cc1x]

nita kinney Ah.. it's so moving. Music touched her heart and touches my heart now. Thank you for the beautiful story.

[@amigopiojo11]

nita kinney this is a sweet story, I wish I can ser a Picture a her

[@claraarango3197]

남

[@sheilaturner2569]

wonderful and powerful story!

[@marisacibeu2747]

Intenso e struggente

[@katiekent21]

There is something so tremulous here.... so tender, so raw. This version, there are none better to be found online; an inimitable performance of an inimitable song.

[@studyolic]

I have to comment again. Here we are in November 2022 with the world about to fall apart. This piece, and this rendition, is deeply moving. A perfect performance of a beautiful composition.

[@dirkberger4154]

Ich habe dieses Musikstück zufällig entdeckt, es ist so beruhigend, so traurig, so traumhaft, einfach nur schön. Danke an den Komponisten und die Künstler.❤

[@hannahwaterman2679]

This is the place I come to mourn. It’s allowed here. The piece gives you the time you need to breathe and feel. I cry every time and still walk away with hope.

[@andreahooper80]

Entrancing, this piece speaks deeply to my soul especially when played so beautifully. Thank you x

[@selenapalmer1127]

I've told my husband I want this played fully, quietly, in a loop, at my funeral, until the last person has left. I only wish I'd be able to hear it, there.

[@NoamOsband]

Selena, my name is Noam. I’m a freelance radio journalist doing a piece about the stories people shared on this page. I’m wondering if I could speak to you about your comment. I found it pretty moving. You can email me at [e-mail] Thanks.

[@nanwuamitofo]

Me too...

[@GIZMOCHEYENNE]

But you will hear it. 🙂

[@Quince5]

Same here. This just popped up in a sidebar and it really is the best recording I have heard. As it was playing I said to my husband you can play this at my funeral. Then started to read the comments….

[@nlrjcs5472]

Just a very few days ago, the oldest of my 5 cats succumbed to old age, at home. On our last full day together, in her last hours, she was cradled in my arms, sleeping peacefully. I had cried a number of times already that day and evening, but Spiegel im Spiegel happened to be aired on NPR that evening. I cried again; this work quietly underscored what was happening, but it helped my Gracie to more calmly breathe her last, before the night was over. I still bawl like a baby on hearing Spiegel im Spiegel. Perhaps this work can help us through the grief. Please, please cherish what time you have with your pets, your special companions

[@michaelrespublica9498]

thank you.

[@pmfmpls]

When I’ve had to have my dear sweet cats put to sleep, I play this on my phone. Just the two of us. I whisper all my love to their tiny ears and we listen together. ❤❤❤

[@charlescorcoran6197]

An intoxicating piece of music. Melancholy yet hopeful. Measured and peaceful. Listen and look skyward...no better salve for life's travails.

[@radiantheartwoman]

I heard this a couple weeks ago first time in my 42 years. I hung on every note as the music pulled every heart string. There is the essence of tenderness and love and an ache of loss, the gravity of life in this music. I could feel the beginning and ending of time. I sat in my car in the dark weeping til the very end wishing it would go on longer....exactly how I feel about my marraige as I am going through a painful divorce. God must have whispered every note in the composer's ears when this was written

[@jeremyparsons4940]

I like stem to this and then read the comments. I’m glad that there is such beautiful music in this world and grateful for all you beautiful people who love it so much.

[@mawron]

This is the most beautiful piece of music and its most beautiful performance in the world. Thank you, gentlemen. You have brought a ray of light into my life. ❤

[@rogerhitchcock]

Beautiful, sublime and deeply moving. Thank you.

[@victoriaeldridge5166]

Utterly beautiful

[@gwannyailsky3335]

Isn't it a wonderful thing to be moved to tears by a beautiful piece of music......❣️

[@sharonazar1]

Yes. Each time I hear this I weep; out of love, breathtaking/breath-giving ...

[@Daimo83]

This is a sad piece of music for some. For me, it's a thread of absolute perfection in an infinite universe of chaos. Each pull of the string contains a lifetime of experiences and emotion, which gently comes into existence and slowly fades away exactly as it's meant to. Everything you ever were, everything you will ever be, everybody who ever lived, and everybody who will live. All in a few precious moments.

[@abbywasserman2051]

Beautifully expressed.

[@charlescorcoran6197]

indeed...soon gone but for a moment in eternity...

[@dianachristie1271]

Daimo - yours is the most beautiful description about a piece of music that I have ever read in my life. x

[@Daimo83]

@@dianachristie1271 very kind, thank you.

[@dawnhenry2332]

With everything happening in the world today, this was the soothing antidote I needed. Self quarantine can be depressing and terrifying. I am all of a sudden calmed by this elegant, sweet & magical piece. Peace & much love to all.

[@anapaularumangotz2150]

Stay safe, stay calm. Everything's gonna be alright.

[@christiengroothof2936]

Fully agree, this is my ‘go to’ place for becoming calm and peaceful

[@MultiXmas2011]

Very well said. The best medicine for the soul.

[@dorothykelly8924]

Me too x

[@dorothykelly8924]

Divine

[@zlauriault]

It's like the sound of seeing your faint reflection in the window during a quiet rain while seeing little things go by.

[@HallManager-jf9dv]

This is the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. If I ever get to heaven, I pray this is what will be playing.

[@mairzyd]

We just heard Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott play this at Orchestra Hall in Chicago. It was like a blessing.

[@syriraqi]

One of my best friends committed suicide one month ago , this masterpiece music by Arvo Pärt helped me a lot to grief and ease my aching soul.

[@drissmrini]

Яреб В 4 years ago the same thing happened to me .. the journey through the cavities of chaos are long and arduous .. however sacrificial and heavy that darkness may be, understand that the person who will rise as a consequence of that journey « through the valley of the shadow of death » will be greater than ever .. embrace that path, embrace the questions that your friend has offered you through that act, and rise to light and self understanding. Preach love to others so that it doesnt happen again, preach love to the world and to this experience that we call life .. and preach love to yourself .. you deserve love. Explore the spectrum of your own individual, unique sensitivity. Your friend has never, and will never leave your side ..

[@raysubsonic]

Yes. Me in 2019.

[@gregmarley7692]

I know the pain and the grief of a suicide loss. I am with you regarding this lovely rendition as an balm to the heart. Wish I"d had it when my friend died by suicide 12 years ago.

[@matiaspulpo1725]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kF62lZJopruJba8

[@dadn5299]

This is by far, one of the most remarkable performances of this piece that I have heard. Thank you.

[@ronaldl9085]

agreed! Best I've heard, ever.

[@donnaherbignat9457]

Yes it is heart rending and life sustaining at once. It’s a taste of heaven.

[@train4905]

❤

[@angelapalsha4162]

Yes, I agree

[@Nick-jx9li]

This sounds like the gentle, graceful end of something great and beautiful.

[@NachiV]

I'd like to imagine the death of great powerful black hole❣

[@softballhumanoid]

The Good Place brought me here, just one more gift from that lovely show.

[@sarahjanespies4110]

softballhumanoid Me too! Mike Schur mentioned on the podcast that he got obsessed reading the comments on a video for this song because they were so kind and positive. I believe this was the video! It's so lovely. ❤️

[@Windstar53WA]

Also here from The Good Place--this music was the perfect choice for Chidi's good-bye. I'm so glad they used it.

[@kixsamson]

Me too! "None of this is bad." - Chidi "The air inside my lungs was the same as the air outside my body." - Jason

[@Windstar53WA]

Chidi refers to "Professor May's Book" in his class--here is a quote from Todd Gifford May, philosopher: “I am like a wave on the sea. While the wave rises I appear to have some independent existence. However, I am just a movement of the sea, and my death is nothing but a crashing of water into water. My truth is that I am of the sea, and as a wave I appear independent of it only for a moment.” ― Todd May, A Fragile Life: Accepting Our Vulnerability I REALLY love how this gem of a show got me to look at quotes like that.

[@clintonbartek1413]

Ya'll...Help. I'm feeling so devastated after that episode. I literally haven't felt this sad since my mom died 7 years ago. I thought "About Time" was the hardest thing I'd watch (fun fact, they use this song in that movie too) but this hits me way deeper than I could have imagined it would. Are any of you feeling this way?

[@dermur68]

People say smell is the strongest trigger of emotional memory. But when I hear this tune, I'm transported straight back to the hospital room where my dear friend departed this world. The sense of peace, calm and sadness is beautiful and heart-breaking at the same time.

[@TXRowingForAll]

Played this on my cello for first time this evening. It took my heart at once to a place of deep peace I had forgot how to find. Peace to all here

[@MarinoBaldissera]

I love this version of "Spiegel im Spiegel", performed without ever over-emphasizing self-protagonism but, on the contrary, always at the service of the expressive tension of the piece. Thank you and sincere congratulations.

[@9735irene]

I am spending some time India and I send the link to many Indian people because I am convinced that this touches the heart of every hunan - whatever be her/his culture

[@sharonazar1]

Not only every human..Each time I play this for my dogs, they calm down and listen...

[@MoniqueDiCarlo]

Wow, so profound, like breath and heartbeat embracing.

[@wakingtheworld]

Sublimely peaceful..... Heard it this evening on Classic FM. You just don't want it to end....

[@marymcreynolds9171]

Most enveloping music ever written. My favorite!

[@gerardfangeau7162]

I listen to this interpretation again and again... For me the deeper sound and balance between the cello and piano, and perfect tempo. Can stay hours listening to it.

[@oskarlina5912]

Long live arvo, a beautiful human being.

[@p05tr0kk4]

I chose this to accompany a visual tribute for my mum at her funeral on 13 June 2016. Her life in 60 pictures. I was with her as she died aged 80. I love her and miss her so much.

[@HiltonBoenosAires]

I had a friend who commited suicide recently. I wrote a note of two pages in his honor while I was listening this song. The text made a lot of people cry, me included.

[@pkrones]

There could be no more beautiful way to gently help her move on.

[@deannabindi2264]

Roberto amore mio questo suono ti accompagni verso l'infinito, il battito del tuo cuore ora è tranquillo, rilassati, spero di riabbracciarti un giorno e dimostrarti tutto l'amore che solo parzialmente ho saputo darti.....

[@neilwilliams6516]

p05tr0kk4 Thanks that is a nice idea and thinking of using this at my mother's funeral she was 90 and had that awful disease of Alzheimer's

[@p05tr0kk4]

Neil Williams I'm sorry to hear about your mum. The music is perfect to reflect on someone's life, and to remember them. I wish you well at such a difficult time.

[@Bshel419]

"Simplicity is the final achievement."-Fryderyk Chopin.

[@onweblife]

“Simplicity is complexity resolved” - Constantin Brancusi

[@juliebrenneise4314]

I found this song from the last episode of The Good Place, and I realize now I recognized it from the deeply heart breaking and beautiful movie Wit. And now I just listen to it on loop for hours. This song, and this performance especially, breaks my heart in a beautifully tender way that is profound every time. It feels like it's being played by a heart that has seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer-and it still chooses to love. Thank you so much for the beauty of this performance.

[@VEINTYUNICO]

Chidi's quote and this song made me cry like I haven't in a long time

[@juliebrenneise4314]

@@VEINTYUNICO Right??? I SOBBED during the finale. Then it just became my song when I wanted to cry or feel deep emotions.

[@NiniM8154]

I also first heard this in the film Wit. It seems to express the peace she finally found at death. It is a perfect composition in its pure simplicity.

[@gillesg.5502]

Quelle interprétation magistrale d'une merveilleuse retenue et sensibilité ! Extraordinaire d'entendre cette musique dans notre siècle si tumultueux. Merci infiniment.

[@joahnnorghe8595]

👍👍👍🎯🖐

[@Paige-Turnner]

This song made me break out in an all out sobbing ugly cry. There's something about this song so utterly visceral that it just ripped my heart out. Like saying a final goodbye to a season of life, or to someone who's died.

[@jessier.cardona6062]

I know how much , my dear friend loved and appreciated this music. She will never be forgotten! Rest long and in peace.

[@henrydenner5448]

You know, I listen to this, and hating myself for being 40 years old but never having heard it. I made up for it by listening to it 25 times since yesterday. It is absolutely sublime in its sheer simplicity. Never have I come across such a perfect example of "less is more". And to the cellist and pianist. Thank you 2 for your immaculate rendition of this incredible piece. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@stevetutty2818]

Loving life at 66 and no regrets!

[@damesftw45]

So Dangerous, My friend.

[@petermatthew123]

I never heard this till a few months ago. I'm 72 this year. Better late than never!!

[@marcopisu4704]

me too

[@NordANvideos]

Today is 9/11, 2020 and Maestro Arvo Pärt is celebrating his 85th birthday. What a marvellous human being he is. A couple of weeks ago our family visited his centre in Laulasmaa, near Tallinn. As we were buying our tickets and getting airphones (you can listen to his music while wondering around in this spectacular building), my teenage son said "Hello", I turned around and there he was. Smiling to us and responding so very kindly, as if we were somehow important in this unexpected meeting. He had a cup of coffee (tea?) and he headed to the library. We all stood there, amazed. Indeed, Arvo Pärt´s Centre in a beautiful pine forest is all the reason you need to visit Estonia as soon as this pandemic madness is over. Can´t guarantee you will meet him in person, but it's worth a try. Spiegel im Spiegel.

[@coffeeandboston6663]

Thank you very much for sharing this story.

[@soymariobarron]

I've watched a documentary about this center, hope one day I will visit it... my grandma turned into 85 yo this same year btw.

[@shelaghrobertson8286]

@@soymariobarron Thank you for mentioning this, I will look for it 💖

[@matiaspulpo1725]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kF62lZJopruJba8

[@KacyPaide]

Thank you for this story! We're planning on going to Estonia in summer 2022 (originally was for 2020...). My father died 2 years ago. He and Pärt both grew up in Paide, Estonia at the same time. Dad fled in '44. They eventually met about 10 years ago at a Kennedy Center event here in DC. I didn't have it in me to take a photo, but was so happy to see two former little boys from Paide connecting in Washington so many years later. Dad's dementia was starting and I was so touched that they connected. I had no idea Pärt had a center in Estonia. Just looked it up and can't wait to go! We have a modern art museum here in MD (Glenstone) where you can hear some Pärt in the forest as part of a sound installation. Pure magic.

[@user-xv2zm8ch8x]

Unbelievable talent, timed to perfection, Bravo 😊

[@chrischrass8849]

Ich bin die ganze zeit über nur weinen.... was für ein unglaublich ergreifendes stück

[@user-rq3cs8kq4n]

Floating in the universe--tears in my eyes-smiling-accelarating-looping-swirling in the air........ Not believing in such a beauty Mr Pαrt you create peace.Thank you

[@petravujicic9365]

I had an anxiety attack this morning because of an overwhelming amount of exams the next week so my heart was beating super fast and loud and i couldn’t control my breathing. I laid down, put this on and stared at the ceiling. My breathing matched it pretty quickly and I got better even before the song ended. It’s currently my favourite piece

[@dorothyeaston3393]

The best performance of this wonderful piece. The cello soothes the soul and the piano calms the heart. .

[@joshuarosen6242]

I think the cello suits this beautifully. I know it was written for the violin and piano but the rich, somewhat melancholy tone of the cello suits the mood of the piece better or at least I think so.

[@tekenenenknutselen2737]

I agree... Cello adds another dimension to this outstanding piece of music

[@trentsmith5184]

I'm a violinist and I agree, so..... : )

[@nikkili8944]

"Rich, somewhat melancholy tone" is really spot on! I've always loved the combination of piano and cello. When the cello's melancholy meets the piano's playfulness it's just magic.

[@cflhighlights9370]

Cello has the range most similar to the human voice which could be why.

[@christaylor6053]

This piece reminds me of my nan, she was such a lovely lady who always wore her heart on her sleeve. She told me she felt like she was going to go soon, 2 weeks before she died. And I spent that time thinking about all the things I wish I could tell her and how much she meant to me. Just before she passed, I got that chance - and I told her everything. She was heavily dosed with morphine at the time so she couldn't respond much but, she listened intently, still, nodding and trying to smile. An hour later she died. I fell apart. This piece of music brings me back to that day, and reminds me of how she always told me that 'love will always be the best part of us'... things happen for a reason, and we can spend our time trying to understand everything all at once, or simply remember that just by being in love you can find all that you've always needed to fill the gaps our loved ones leave behind. She was a truly, wonderful lady and I miss her everyday.

[@robertap804]

Look at the cellist's expression and just how much he's feeling that music. He's being completely overwhelmed.

[@fireflyfraz1]

made me cry for my father who passed 4 years ago. he loved music so much. i used to play my violin for him

[@hookdump]

Keep playing. I'm sure he will listen, wherever he is. :)

[@fireflyfraz1]

Thank you, Ignacio

[@OlmoHerediaBlanco]

Acordarse de Ana Bottle al leer eso xD

[@scottc977]

Good Daughter, from a Dad and Grampa.

[@dw4417]

Rachel Frazier absolutely beautiful music I admire you for being able to play the violin Dont know where you are but i wish someone would teach me to play the violin Get in touch if you're willing. [e-mail] Thnks

[@garyswift5]

Love this piece of music. It's so relaxing and soulful it transports me to a state of inner peace. I usually practice my Tai Chi listening to this through headphones. The combined effect is blissful.

[@gerdmagnusson5357]

Sitter g Witherspoon my old Mother 99yers. Today we think it is her last Day and this musik give her peace. Tank you!❤

[@deenibeeniable]

Best version ever. No one else has the guts to play it so slowly.

I'm in tears every time, and I don't even have any sorrow in my life. So beautiful! ❤

[@martintosio3271]

To me it illustrates unity of two souls - beautifully. A true wedding piece.

[@SophiahKoikasWindyQueen]

the most haunting music ever. I play it over and over. it's not long enough.

[@m.k.2203]

Wunderschön! Zwei Instrumente die ein Herz berühren. Wer dabei nichts fühlt geht ziemlich kalt durch diese Welt.

[@nikkili8944]

Everytime I hear this wonderful, beautiful and melancholic masterpiece I want to cry. It just touches my soul and my heart drops.

[@rosiep3209]

I cry every time I hear it. It's the only piece that within seconds has me in floods😭🤧. I didn't know of arvos background when I heard this the first time but it made me feel like😏🥺 I was aching for something. family lost, or in a world war. I didn't kokw quite how close to the truth that feeling was til I read up about him much later. Danke Arvo für das schönste stück in meinen Ohren🙏

[@andybowen1981]

I've heard may versions of this hauntingly beautiful masterpiece. I always return to this rendition. Personally I prefer the slightly slower tempo. I feel it adds to the piece, allowing both the Cello and Piano to be un-rushed to fill a deeper character, richness and emotion to the piece. Both musicians give the piece soul. And no greater testament can be said to you both. Thank you.

[@GM-jr6ye]

Agreed, best rendition

[@dermur68]

Me too.

[@marypowell4745]

Absolutely the best.

[@christopherhead686]

I couldn't agree more, Andrew. I've listened to many recordings of this on KZbin, and this is the best combination - cello (not violin), and the slow tempo allowing the most profound expression of the piece. At the time of my comment, this recording has 4.4m views - it's good to see this recording so widely appreciated, and I have no doubt I'll be adding yet more 'views' myself.

[@jolaf]

I agree. Simple, yet perfectly played by both.

[@ELWF593]

That last comment is so beautiful. What the power of beautiful music can do.

[@douglasmatsenguest5337]

Kills me every time. Tears of joy, tears of heartache, I don't know...but they come.

[@steveharris5008]

I used to use this piece as a background for my intermediate class when doing tests as I figured the slow and deliberate pace would induce a serenity to tackle each test. I don't really know if it worked but one time I forgot to play this gorgeousness and one of my students said " Hey mister, what about THE SONG..." I felt vindicated about the need to keep our children aware of the fact that there is more to life than school and about the fact that we need to keep our hearts alive and alert to the beauty that surrounds us everyday...

[@travisbest9041]

That's lovely. ❤

[@phinexblit9029]

I absolutely agree! You said that so perfectly!

[@guibox3]

I wish I had students like that. Mine would just bitch about 'depressing music' and 'I can't concentrate! Can't you turn it off?' But if I played some idiot music like Beiber or Nicki Minaj there'd be no complaints.

[@julioreis695]

You are completly correct. The problem is that Schools leads only to the ways were you don't find the sorroundings. The problem is EXACTLY the formal school.

[@hookdump]

You sound like a great teacher. :)

[@ajaxurk1]

Simply majestic, one of the greatest gifts from God to mankind, music like this touching your soul

[@davidsutcliffe9135]

Spiegel im spiegel Last night my darling I listened to that CD - the one you bought me in Guildford. It’s so thin - just piano and naked string by an Estonian whose name I can’t pronounce, the piano’s slow momentum in time with time itself; the candour of the cello tones indecently examining the wrinkling brow up close, mercilessly scrutinising the creased secrets of the soul. I am entranced and appalled by the way the tones are left to resonate together - uncovered, leisurely. It’s not a bland echo of electronic frequencies but a host of tiny disagreements magnified a thousand times and yet made purely beautiful because they are organically true. And so now I see you again as in a mirror in a mirror infinitely far yet grasped in every movement of my body. And today I know you’re here. As I touch your maroon jacket hanging on my door - the one I bought you in Leamington Spa - the rain weeps in a shaft of afternoon sunlight. David Sutcliffe

[@billsykes11]

Beautiful!

[@triple2530]

❤

[@katerowlands3254]

Beautiful, thank you.

[@herbertcole1486]

If beauty has depth and soul, this is its expression: timeless and perfect

[@sylviebelanger7310]

Je ressens tout l'amour de ces musiciens. C'est magnifique.

[@merenrantajaetkae]

This piece is the most beautiful music of the whole universe.

[@shin-i-chikozima]

This comfort is immeasurable, and off the charts

[@ahmetvlaeev]

Came here from The Good Place? This music is so touching. Thanks to Michael Schur for sharing and Arvo Pärt for creating it.

[@elisabeth6431]

So wunderschön wie ein Traum, man spürt nur Frieden, vielen Dank.

[@chrisdk5416]

A different realm - thank you for taking me there.

[@cliffjamesmusic]

I remember being overwhelmed by the simple beauty of this piece the first time I heard it. Now I just float and smile. Thank you for your exquisite playing.

[@mikehollingworth2262]

you got it....perfect words

[@g1fcg]

It's hard to imagine that all the cello is playing is the scale of F major - how something so simple can sound so beautiful, beyond imagination! This is so haunting I could listen to it all day long!

[@g1fcg]

Actually I think I spoke too soon by saying this was so simple - just an F major scale! until I started to play it on the Theremin! Then I realised yes, it is F major, but its how the scale is 'mirrored' and 'inverted' on the 'pivotal root' note of A below middle C. Its actually much more difficult than it first appeared. It also ends on A. The piano parts quite difficult too! I couldn't imagine anyone playing it on the Theremin - although when I get it right it does sound great. I've yet to get to the point of playing it with just the piano backing!!

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

@@g1fcg Hi. It's strange that I'm reading this now because I just had a dilema. I learned his piece on piano many years ago, and the score was in F major. Yet this is being performed in E-flat! I'm guessing that this was to adjust for a lower resonance of the cello? Or did i just find a bad score of the piece! Mabye i'm losing my mind!

[@g1fcg]

@@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole No - this is definitely in F major! I just played along with it on the piano and the cello part on the Theremin.

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

@@g1fcg OMG, get this: My Macintosh's memory was maxed-out due to all of the music-videos i'm making. The memory was so full Final Cut Pro started flipping out on me! It tuned the Spiegel file DOWN to E-flat! I have perfect pitch, so i thought i was going crazy! I thought the notes were playing backwards. // Incidentally, did a color-association video for this performance. It's astounding what I did with it. I also EQ'ed the audio for cleaner sound, as well as detuned it to A-432 hz tuning. I should have it up on KZbin by morning, if interested.

[@g1fcg]

@@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole That came to my mind that it could be down to the device you were playing it on. Seems you found it was. I have actually downloaded the music of this video and play it on iTunes.

[@KerstenConway]

This is the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard... it embodies peace and love and loss and hope and sorrow and joy... I cry every time I listen to this poignant piece that resonates with the human heart.

[@deeagirdici-maher2483]

I would be so happy to have this music playing when i pass over, its so perfect and blissful for that transition. Just gets right jngo my soul 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤

[@richardbeardsley3769]

This is the music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

[@fadgadgeter3352]

I can imagine nothing more beautiful than the 'breath' of the cello.

[@tammylombard]

This is one if the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. Transforming.

[@ponelpierre]

Je suis en admiration ppur cette interprétation : la meilleure à ma connaissance. Merci à ces jeunes au talent incroyable !

[@OlDoinyo]

It is amazing how something so simple can have such evocative power.

[@hannawagenknecht6378]

So etwas zu hören ist einfach wunderbar,freue mich und sage danke.☺️❤️

[@julianhorvathh5319]

Beautiful!

[@swebigmac100]

My mothers funeral was the other day. Played this tune then and there. Very emotional.

[@ellifi324]

Lange hat mich keine Musik berührt wie diese. Großartig !!!