Mirror Telescope - Spiegel im Spiegel 

The German title Spiegel im Spiegel means 'mirror in the mirror'. This refers to the infinity of images in mirrors that are formed when two mirrors are mirroring each other - a clear example of Meta (mirroring a mirror). Mirroring is not just achieved in the title of the piece, but in the way the violin part pivots around an imaginary horizontal mirror on the note A - swelling effortlessly away and towards the pivot note. Here is a very well-known analysis that explains the mirroring and the tintinnabuli technique on a postcard. [1]

Pärt gives no dynamic or phrase markings - in particular the violin part has very little information in terms of tone quality. This raises three questions - the first being when should I use vibrato and how much should be applied? In addition, whether the notes should be played on an open string or fingered. Whilst open strings do provide a pure quality to the sound, it can lead to a flat production. Hence, despite the risks of microtonal nuances, I used fingered A notes to provide subtle changes in the vibrato throughout this work.

Another consideration was whether to use one full bow stroke in the 15 beat long notes. Some noticeable performances, such as Meyers, decide to split the longer notes into 6 and 9 - with the bow change happening when the piano chord is sounded (1:25-1:40). To me, although it is masked, there is a break in the stillness of the moment and as this happens so frequently, I decided that sustaining the note for the full length in one bow was required. This may have resulted in some lapses on tonal control in my part but it can also amplify the intimate chill this piece offers.

Pärt writes a tempo marking with a c.a marking, meaning approximately. This has led to a wide range of tempos that have been used in various recordings. A tempo too slow can make the work sound ponderous and is challenging for the violinist to sustain tone. However, a tempo too quick would lead to a breathless performance, which defeats the object of breathing that Pärt truly treasures in many of his works. To me, Benedetti approaches the tempo perfectly - with just enough space to offer noticeable changes in tonal quality. That's not to say that Meyers interpretation is too quick - however the most important thing to remember is that the music plays itself and that over-interpretation should be avoided. [2]

On reflection (quite literally), the video greatly enhances the meta qualities this piece exhibits. In particular, the powerful ending of fading to nothing with the video suggesting that the piano and violin are sounding without human input is haunting. There are one or two instances in the audio where a 'cut' can be heard and in a piece that is isolating for both players - only full run-throughs should be used. My decision to use the full bow for the 15 beat notes was a good decision for cohesion although I could have used a little more vibrato, especially earlier on, to give a bit more life to my line due to the limited intervallic movements. In terms of collaboration, Anais was a delight to work with and she had great vision to the amount of presence the piano required in this work. In addition, Nils was able to capture the intimacy of our performance with the position of the microphones so that subtle breaths could be heard. Finally Eve and Adrienne (The film-makers) produced an outstanding video capturing our vision of a meta-video that subtly plays around with mirrors and perspective and has lighting that is evocative and fits with the tranquil, delicate nature of this work. It is a piece that is a true reflection of the composer's own character.

[1] Mermikides, M., 2016. Spiegel Im Spiegel On A Postcard. [online] Miltonline. Available at: <https://www.miltonline.com/2016/01/02/spiegel-im-spiegel-on-a-postcard/>

[2] Wilson, F., 2012. Infinite Reflections: Pärt's 'Spiegel Im Spiegel'. [online] The Cross-Eyed Pianist. Available at: <https://crosseyedpianist.com/2012/06/23/infinite-reflections-parts-spiegel-im-spiegel/> 

(685 words)