Spiegel im Spiegel

The serene, slowly unfolding Spiegel im Spiegel (“Mirror in the Mirror”) is one of Arvo Pärt’s most famous compositions. The apparent simplicity of this short piece, with its gently flowing 6/4 meter and poignant melody, renders it timeless and immediately accessible. The emotional impact of Spiegel im Spiegel has made it a good fit for dance, theatre and dozens of films. Composed in 1978, shortly before Pärt’s move from his native Estonia to Berlin, Spiegel im Spiegel is written in the composer’s signature tintinnabuli style, influenced by the mysticism of chant music and characterised by the use of arpeggios (broken chords) and a harmony that doesn’t stray from the notes of the scale. It is music of restraint and unguarded transparency, which nonetheless relies on the performers’ ability to immerse themselves in the harmonic direction and tonal purity of the score. In Spiegel im Spiegel, the piano plays rising triads while the second instrument plays simple scalic figurations (there are versions for violin, cello, and viola, among others). The title alludes to the endless reflection of mirrors when facing each other. The ascending melodic lines are followed by mirrored phrases, with the pitch A—to which the violin repeatedly returns—as the plane of reflection. The phrases that rise and fall against the soft piano chords are continuously inverted, which suggests that the harmonic pattern could continue indefinitely.