http://realscandinavia.com/midsummer-...
A quote from it:
The tradition of dancing around the Midsummer pole is an old one, though of course the dances have changed over the centuries. Today organized Swedish Midsummer festivals typically include exhibitions of folk dancing in traditional costumes, as well as ring dances and games for people of all ages to join in. No Midsummer celebration is complete without Små grodorna, a dancing game in which people of all ages hop around the pole while singing about little frogs. The goofiness is part of the fun.
Midsummer was considered to be a time of magic, and anything to do with nature was thought to have a special power. Gathering flowers to weave into wreaths and crowns was a way to harness nature’s magic to ensure good health throughout the year. Even though most people these days probably are unaware of the magical origins of the tradition, weaving crowns of flowers is still a major part of any Midsummer observance.
The magic of Midsummer also extends to the realm of romance. A Swedish verse says: Midsummer night is not long but it sets many cradles to rock.
The Gothenburg suburb of Hammarkullen has been the home of a spring-carnival since 1974, by now the largest event of this type in Sweden. The population of Hammarkullen reflects the influx of immigrants to Sweden in recent decades, not unlike developments in other ”concrete” suburbs in this country. Yet, many people will witness that Hammarkullen has developed a somewhat special cosmopolitan spirit, often described as ”friendly”, ”tolerant”, ”inviting” and the like. And this not just noticable during the three short days of the carnival. It's not far-fetched to assert that the carnival tradition has influenced this spirit a great deal. And ever since a brutal invasion took place not far from this country, it has become clear: It is not self-understood that people are free to join in celebrating life, smiling, singing, dancing, presenting skills and fancy costumes. It is indeed an achievement, something of utmost value! Just as misguided – or simply unfortunate - people elsewhere, we all could be swept along with a wave of violence, unable to return to a peaceful life. Best to be strong in our pursuit of happiness. Just as vital as food and the air we breathe are all the good things that bring people closer together.
The Bastei area is one of a number of hotspots where an ancient seabed has eroded into spectecular shapes. They are found in a fairly large region almost equally divided between Germany and the Czech Republic. Well worth a visit, maybe combined with the cities of Dresden and Prague!
The month of November in the northern hemisphere has a bad reputation. Words like "grey", "wet", "dark" come to mind. A well deserved reputation? Probably... Yet, many nature photographers know that the apparent dullness is only one side of the coin. Not only that "dullness" itself can be made interesting in images, but also that light and color can literally break through and create a magic that makes ninety percent of all summer pictures cringe with envy...
Due to the pandemic, no Carnival in 2020 and 2021, will the event survive? The year 2022 would give the answer... And what an answer it was! More aglow than ever, more smiles, more friendliness, more sparks between public and performers! And even participants from the Ukraine, reminding us all that this type of celebration is not self-understood and must be upheld with fervor!
June 6th is the National Holiday in Sweden. In Gothenburg the renowned Symphony (GS) invites all to a free outdoor performance in the largest city park. Due to the ongoing pandemia, 2019 was the latest such event, which seems ages ago. It was the inspiring music used here that sparked the flashback leading to this little image show. It was not performed by the GS, but they had some similar crowd pleasing film music pieces in their program.
In uncertain times, likely to weigh down, I always experience slow 'serious' music in a minor key as a benign, understanding ally. The same holds for certain landscapes and landscape-images that match both music and my mental state. To not resist being absorbed by the gravity of a situation - or mood - very often comes with benefits. Darkness reveals traces of light, which we can choose to be guided by.
Eleven years old, me and my classmates had gathered for a regular music lesson. Rather unexpected the teacher started to talk about classical music, how it can be a comfort for people in difficult times. He gave some short examples on the grand piano. Beethoven was among them, the other ones I don't remember. The teacher was a rather young and sporty guy, full of good-natured jokes, with a discernible dose of self-irony. An unusal property in those days. Needless to say that he was popular with us. But still, I always wondered what had given him the courage - and trust - to talk to us pre-teens about music as a source of solace in the face of misery and suffering. There may have been a slight hint in his voice that he himself might have undergone a crisis. But then, it could also have been a general empathic ability. At any rate, one look around convinced me that I wasn't the only one in class to be touched by his words, his manner and the examples. I have always remembered this lesson and I'll never forget Günter Dubber, the outstanding music teacher.
Late September and early October days in this area can be everything, lovely, stormy, rainy, foggy, snowy, cool, warm, you name it. Full of surprises.
Five sequences, fifteen minutes in total.
Tomasi was a modern French composer (1901-1971), while Saboly was a writer/composer in the early 16 hundreds. So I wasn't so far off with my uncertainties about the correct time period.
The cassette recording, despite its obvious inadequacies, became the treasured memory of these magic moments in my room at the onset of Christmas Eve. I played it virtually every Christmas since. Of course I tried to get a hold of a record, but no store could help me. And not even the internet yielded any traces, at least in the early days.
It was not before about 2009 when I finally did find some information on the net. The LP disc played on the radio turned out to be a Deutsche Grammophon production from 1962, recorded in the St.Michel Abbey near Avignon. Apparently there had been re-issues on CD, but I never found a trace of them either. I had to wait until December 2018 to stumble upon a complete recording in fine stereo quality on Youtube. It might have been placed there by an organization connected to the state owned French RTF (Radio + Television) itself, who probably held the copyright. But this is just a guess.
Musically, I am a layman. But I'm sure that Tomasi and Jouineau did a great job with the arrangements, the instrumentation and the youthful choir. So sharp, so disciplined, yet so uninhibited and inspired. The undoubtedly hard work apparently did not take away anything from the youngsters' enthusiasm. To listen to this fine 1962 performance in high quality, what a joy. Heartwarming and uplifting. And my personal treasure hunt finally leading to success.
One of Tromholt's photographs of polar lights |
Sophus Tromholt |
Tromholt in Sami outfit at his Aurora Borealis observatory |
Exhibition of Somby's color prints at the Tromsø Library
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Somby with a color print |
Javiera & her Dance class, Schoolshow 1996 |
Javiera & "Kexan" Eriksson, Schoolshow 1996 |
Javiera + Jim Jidhed recording The Rose |
Office HiRise, Milano |
Hirtshals Harbor |
Cabin in the making, logs are windfall from the Gudrun storm in 2005 |