Scored for
piano
Duration
2.30
Short description
Ukuaru Waltz comes from the 1973 film Ukuaru by Leida Laius, for which Arvo Pärt wrote the original score. The waltz first appears in the film as an accordion piece with which Aksel (Lembit Ulfsak) enchants Minna (Elle Kull), and which then becomes a powerful life-affirming artistic trope by the end of the film.
The melody of the Ukuaru Waltz quickly gained widespread popularity and spread by ear as a simple tune. When the composer rearranged the original accordion version for the piano in 2010, he changed it slightly and added a short coda.