Giant handmade xylophone plays Bach in the depths of a serene Japanese forest

29 January 2021, 15:40

A tranquil Japanese woodland and one of Bach's most gorgeous melodies.

A few years ago, Japanese telecommunication company Docomo created one of the most beautiful adverts we’ve ever seen. 

Director Morihiro Harano and sound artist Kenjiro Matsuo built a natural instrument in the middle of a lush forest.

Their creation featured hundreds of different-sized pieces of wood, each sounding an individual note when struck. A wooden ball then cascades down the structure, hitting every resonant note of a Bach masterpiece.

Cue spine-tingling beauty...

Read more: This Bach cantata is so beautiful it’s basically from another planet >

The instrument plays ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’, the final movement to Bach’s famous cantata ‘Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben’.

It’s made by hand from 100 per cent raw materials and, unbelievably, the video contains no special effects.

This is what happens when science and music come together.