19 minutes of masterful music, crafted like a sonata in three musical movements, form a brilliant dramatic soundtrack, among the finest of its kind. A sublime dialogue unfolds between violin, cello, and piano, dominated by two classical composers: Bach and Brahms.

Sarde chose three instruments, the three most emotional — piano, violin, and cello — to convey one of the most intricate, emotional, and internally conflicted dialogues in the history of film music. An underlying rivalry between Brahms and Bach, which would require a musician to provide a proper and well-documented analysis. However, even without musical knowledge, a careful listener will immediately understand what it’s about. The style is purely dramatic throughout all three movements. The observant listener will notice that two themes dominate. Two stunning melodies. One played by the violin, reminiscent of Brahms and Hungarian dances, and one played by the cello, echoing Bach’s cello suites, specifically the most famous one. Throughout the score, these two composers will move back and forth between the instruments with impressive skill and flawless technique, culminating in the final movement where the shifts will be both more intense and more emotionally charged. In this subtle confrontation, the piano will act as an arbiter, intervening at the most critical phrases to balance things out. And indeed, in the last minute, when it delivers its own phrase, its musical proposition will be clear, full of serenity and harmony, to set things right. From that point on, Bach and Brahms reach an agreement and finally manage to communicate. And this is why Sarde chooses to express everything internally: because in little Ponette — a small girl who has lost her mother but talks to her on the phone as if she were alive — everything in her psyche functions internally. When Bach and Brahms finally find common ground in the music and the internal conflict concludes with peace, it is because Ponette herself accepts the truth and finds the courage to say goodbye to her mother. She has found peace, and with her, Bach and Brahms have also found peace.

What Sarde achieved is truly amazing, crafting the soundtrack like classical music, because as you can understand, only a small part of this music was heard in the film.