Kulning over the lunch hour

[pegkerr]

The MacPhail Center for Music has opened their brand spanking new center this week, very close to where I work. As part of their grand opening, they have been doing their Bach's Lunch concert series every day this week: a free concert is offered in their new atrium space, and the public is invited to bring their lunches and enjoy the music. Tuesday was a jazz quintet, Wednesday was a flutist and harpist playing classical opera arias. Today was the best of all, an appearance by Ruth MacKenzie (voice) and Dean McGraw on guitar. I tipped elisem about this concert, because she loves Ruth and Dean, too, and so we sat together to listen.

I first became aware of Ruth several years ago when, made curious by an excellent review in the local arts publication, I obtained tickets to her program Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden. I was absolutely blown away by this show--definitely grab the chance to see it if/when she ever performs it in the future. I bought the CD to the show (you can get it on iTunes, too, and I've played it hundreds of times since purchasing it. It's a particular favorite of the girls.) In it, Ruth features a type of Nordic singing called kulning. As she explains on her website,

I happened upon a concert [during my trip to Finland] called, "High and Loud" presented by several singers from the Sibelius Folk Music Academy. I now look back on that day as either an incredible stroke of luck, the beginning of my own personal triatholan or as one of the more quirky tricks the universe has ever played on me. Sitting in a small movie house that doubles as the village concert hall, I witnessed a slight, mousy looking woman stand several feet from the microphone and produce a sound so compelling my bones rattled. She was kulning (a high pitched Swedish song for calling animals). The sound itself made me question, "Am I hearing the human voice or the animal within the human?" The sound itself made me question, "Am I crying because I have discovered a sound which reveals the ancient in my own Scandinavian heritage or one that leads me to the tap root of human sound and music-making where we all meet regardless of our ethnic backgrounds?" The sound itself grabbed me at my core and demanded that I try - try to be a channel for the song.

This gives a very good sense of what listening to kulning is like. When I hear Ruth sing, the overtones make me break into a grin of wonder, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. It is very emotional.

So, anyway, the concert was fantastic (and even more wonderful because it was free). I got Ruth and Dean to sign my copy of the Kalevala CD afterwards (Dean had appeared on it, too) and to tell them how much I loved it, which made my day. I've signed up to be notified of future Bach's Lunch events; apparently they will be held the first Fridays of the month, between 12:15 - 1:00.

It's going to be great to have this wonderful source of music/concerts next door.

And maybe, someday, perhaps after I get my black belt and/or the girls are off to college and my schedule opens up a bit, and if I'm still working in the same location, it would be really convenient to go over there and take the Gaelic fiddle lessons I've been thinking I'd like to get around to taking someday.

Comments

[musicbearmn.livejournal.com]

Next week I have the joy of doing a site visit to MacPhail...I can't wait to see the new digs!