In their latest video on YouTube, the Piano Guys shared a simply mesmerizing mashup of Adele’s “Hello” and Mozart’s classic “Lacrimosa.” The group consists of Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Paul Anderson, and Al van der Beek. “Chello from the other side!” they captioned the video in which they use cellos to cover the songs.
Frankly, we love mash ups like this, especially when it comes to new twists on classical pieces. Also, don’t know when the lighted bow for string instruments became a thing (been seeing it a lot lately), but it is awesome. The new tagline for this song is aptly “If Mozart and Adele dated, this would be their breakup song.”
Here is the complete video description on the Piano Guys website
Hello/Lacrimosa (or “Chello,” as it has affectionately been called in the studio) is a musical experiment bridging 18th century spiritualism and 21st century secularism. Imagine Mozart and Adele in the same room in an intense co-write session, quill and pen in hand, respectively. Picturing this hypothetical hangout helped to spark the creative combination of the two.
Both tunes’ divergent traits presented challenges. One wallows in a wide, painstakingly minor 12/8 time and the other drives a poignant bi-polar major/minor common time. One draws its power from the fullness of a grand chorus and orchestra, the other from the isolation of a lone voice and piano. One conforms to age-old counterpart canon and musical theory, while the other is conveyed via verse/chorus pop song parlance. However, they share the same fundamental feeling – “Lacrimosa” (meaning “weeping” or “tearful”) mournfully bemoans spiritual death, while “Hello” gripes about relationship regrets. Different centuries. Different realms. Same emotion. Perhaps we aren’t as far from our predecessors as we think we are.
You’ll hear towards the end of the tune an attempt by both motifs to meet in the middle as the two textured melodies intertwine. In their respective stories both plead for reconciliation. Neither seemed to find it apart, but together they sing about a second chance.
The sounds you hear were created by 100 tracks of acoustic and electric cello, an instrument that has been emoting for centuries — an apt candidate for the task of tying together “Hellocrimosa” (our alternate affectionate title).
This video was filmed at one of our favorite locations: Tuacahn Amphitheatre, utilizing different patterns and settings of giant mirrors, diffused light, and some very cold fog. How is the camera not reflected in the mirrors? Simple. Smoke and mirrors!
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