On a Sunday autumn evening, a museum auditorium eager for good music was brought together by five legends of the Estonian art – four musicians and a great poet. And when the 4 started playing, they took us high and far. I am still not sure if it was the sounds themselves or the vibes from the artists on the stage, but combined it felt a fulfilling experience.
The poetry of Juhan Liiv combined with the rock music can break souls and open hearts. The guitar gently followed and createed the space and atmosphere around the heart-touching lyrics. It is sort of a double rainbow – where your body wants to rhythmically move under the sounds of the instruments of alternative rock music and your mind wants to dive deep into the warm vocal of Riho Sibul and challenging poetry lines. While the bass and drums clearly impose the rhythms and keep the atmosphere on the right track, keeping it cool and steady. Jaak Sooäär kept the public always updated on song’s stories and kept the communication alive. They had been mostly presenting their new album, that is waiting eagerly to be sold now and that brings the autumn closer to the heart. It is known as a sequel to the former album Juhan based on the poetry of Juhan Liiv, this second one is named Ma lillesideme võtaks (roughly translated I would bond/connect with a flower). Musical line was simultaneously accompanied by videos of Estonian landscapes and patterns. It gave the whole performance more sensitivity and more options for one to make the connection to the art created there.
The concert was a great opportunity for non-Estonian residents in Tallinn to get to know in a very interactive way one of the Estonian modern and one of deepest poets. A pleasant lesson of literature, as well as contemporary legendary local rock.
Juhan
October 20th, 2019
KUMU auditorium
Members:
Riho Sibul – vocal, guitar
Jaak Sooäär – guitar
Henno Kelp – bass
Andrus Lillepea – drums
Check the photos of the concert here.