Black Eyes was written for a 60th birthday celebration for Almut Weiss that took place in Vienna on Sept 12, 2009. It is a short duet for violin and cello that combines two ideas: the opening pizzicato chords and main theme from Ligeti's Cello Sonata together with the famous Russian song Black Eyes (Oчи Чëрные) in the rich tradition of the Belle Epoque style.