Day 14 - Festival Day 2
July 8, 2019 | EnsTour Blogger
Today was an inspiring conclusion to the Laulupidu, as all 33,000 singers joined together to present the seven-hour long final concert beneath sunny blue skies. This may have been the most beautiful weather we've experienced during our four visits to the festival, and it was a delight to have another poncho-free day!
After a free morning with our home stays, which many of the singers used to enjoy some well-deserved extra sleep, we turned up at the festival grounds around 1 pm. The buses were crowded and full of jubilant singers, who frequently burst into song to serenade their fellow passengers. When we arrived at the festival grounds, we were astounded at the number of singers and audience members - even greater than yesterday, it seemed. There were over 100,000 people sitting on picnic blankets on the grass, shopping at the countless handicraft stalls, and eating the fresh fruit, roast potatoes, and smoked fish for sale all over the grounds.
The children's choir was on first, so we headed over to the lineup behind the shell with the 10,000 other "Lastekoori" singers. They headed on stage to cheers from the assembled multitude and launched into the "Singer's Greeting," "Lauljate Tervitus." After beautiful renditions of the lullaby "Maarja kuld," which was accompanied by the traditional Estonian zither (kannele), they sang the upbeat rock-inspired "Onn ei tule pikutades," complete with joyful choreography. The effect of 10,000 singers in colorful traditional costume putting their hands in the air was just magical. They closed the children's set with the uplifting "Maa, mida armastan," which a few of the singers compared to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
Then, it was time for a lengthy break before rejoining the full massed choir for the final four songs. We began by heading once more into the lunch line for a round of soup and barley ice cream. Meanwhile, our executive director Karim Baer had been working his magic to get us some interviews on Estonian television and American radio, so Bob, Abby, and Khoa headed off to be interviewed. Elizabeth and Ozmar represented us in a spontaneous interview with an Estonian journalist, and Cayden and Karina spoke yesterday with an American journalist. Many thanks to all of you for speaking so eloquently about the Laulupidu, and for representing our choir on the world stage and in the media!
After lunch and the interviews, we found a grassy patch surrounded by fir trees where we held our closing circle. This traditional end-of-tour event is where mentors and mentes exchange gifts, the singers receive tour gifts based on the number of years they've participated in Ensemble, each chaperone group gives a thank-you gift to their chaperone, and each singer has the opportunity to share a brief reflection on their choir experience. It was an emotional time with many tears shed as the graduating singers spoke about how much their time here has meant, and everyone shared their experiences of being part of the choir family. Bob always speaks last, and this closing circle was particularly poignant as we remembered that it would be his very last one with Ensemble. We are so grateful for his 37 years at the helm and it was a powerful experience to hear him reflect on the life he had devoted to PEBCC.
After the closing circle, the singers had about an hour of free time to enjoy the music, do some shopping, and relax. Around 7:30 pm, it was time to line up for the final four massed pieces featuring all 33,000 singers. The entire audience crowded onto the packed green to hear this powerful climax to the Laulupidu. As the massed choir processed slowly on stage, a process which took around 15 minutes, the participants filled the time by passing the wave from the singers to the audience in back. It was an extraordinary experience to see a wave this massive sweep from beneath the singing arch all the way through the crowd to the statue of composer Gustav Ernesaks at the very back. The energy was infectious!
The massed choirs began with the rock-inspired "Ilus oled, isamaa," which was received so rapturously that the choir immediately began calling out for an encore. The conductor obliged and even brought up the original rock singer up onto the soloist platform to perform with the choir. Next came the premiere of the young Estonian composer Part Uusberg's "Igaviku tuules," which displayed the different sounds of the children's and mixed choirs through an arrangement of the traditional Estonian regilaul. This, too, was cheered and encored.
The last two songs were traditional staples of the Laulupidu: "Ta lendab mesipuu poole" (One flies toward the beehive"), which is a powerful metaphor for the ways in which Estonians have fought through storm and trouble to return to their native land and culture; and "Mu isamaa on minu arm," the unofficial national anthem that was regularly sung in defiance of the Soviets during the communist years. The audience took on a reverential hush for these and many sang along, as a sea of Estonian flags fluttered and singers swayed with their phone flashlights above their heads.
Then came the encores! Our host, Aarne Saluveer, had let us know about these in advance and we had done some rehearsal on the bus in Finland. First came two popular songs that the whole choir and audience seemed to know, conducted by legendary figures in the Estonian choral world including Tiia Ester-Loitme, the conductor featured in the documentary "The Singing Revolution." Then the choir and conductors spontaneously encored a few of the favorites from yesterday's concert, concluding with the favorite "Uksi pole keegi." The singers were reluctant to leave the stage, but as the last encore came to a close they slowly dispersed into the night to cheers of merriment.
We fought our way through the crowds to the back of the song festival grounds, where the statue of Estonian composer and conductor Gustav Ernesaks presides over the gathering. There, we met with our hosts from ETV and enjoyed a final singing exchange with them. Aarne and Bob made some brief remarks, and then Aarne presented the PEBCC staff with gifts, including gorgeous traditional Estonian shawls woven by one of the chorister's mothers. As the midnight sun hovered over the Baltic we slowly dispersed home with our homestays, grateful to have been part of this extraordinary experience.
