I had no idea what this would be when I clicked on it but as soon as it started I knew I was in for a treat. Wonderfully shot and recorded, these two Estonians perform Stairway in an outdoor garden that’s every bit as gentle and beautiful as their guitar tones. If one word has to represent this cover I think ‘beauty’ would be the one. You might criticize the cover for lacking some of the darkness inherent in the original Stairway as performed by Zeppelin, but you’d be missing the point. These guys took a canvass and created a unique colour palette for Stairway that I can say is entirely unique to them – and it’s gorgeous from the first note to the last.
As I surf through Oliver’s channel looking for more information I stumbled on another Stairway clip that he himself recorded in 2011. This is worth having a listen to as well. His use of classical guitar on both recordings is very European and presents the perfect textures through which he gives us his interpretation of the song. I can only say Suurepärane!
I also really liked the quiet determination they both showed while playing and really appreciate how Kaku kept his electric tone very clean – particularly for the solo. That was a great artistic choice to hold back there and perfect for their interpretation. I also thought a lot about collaborations in general and wondered at how cool it is when projects like this come together and two people combine their talents in the spirit of making music and creating. I think you’ll all agree that this is a very special version of Stairway to Heaven that deserves to be heard.
Feature Photo Credit: Night of Churches: Stairs and Windows, 4 by Anita, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
