Aslaug's Axe Shed

Tonight, I had a truly wonderful experience.

A buddy of mine by the name of Thomas (I seem to know a LOT of Thomas’es these days) sings in Aalborg’s Filharmonic Choir. It is a mixed choir and tonight, they gave a small concert in the local church here in Nibe. First of all, Nibe church, while small, is a very, very beautiful building, particularly from the inside. I’ve found a couple of pictures to show you what I’m talking about …

First a shot from the outside http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Nibe_Kirke.jpg

And then one of one of the, sadly rather damaged, medieval frescoes covering one of the arches: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Nibe_fresco_1.jpg

On that second one, kindly note on the left side, just under the chandelier … there’s a pig, walking upright, holding a crossbow. Nibe in the middle ages appears to have been a forerunner for early anthropomorphic art (just kidding, but that piggy has become a symbol for the town )

Anyway, to all you Americans out there … many of whom I know are good, practicing Christians … I really feel sorry for you that you don’t have churches like this one. Sitting in that vaulted room, with its small, supported arches, listening to music on a dark, November night with the room lit by the chandeliers is an experience everyone should be allowed to have.

And such music.

I have a deep seated love for baroque music. I admit I am utterly without my younger brother’s talent for this kind of thing … I mean, he could listen to half a broken piece of something-or-other and probably tell you the composer’s life story, what Opus the piece he just heard a fragment of is, and what special circumstances surround that particular piece. At least, that’s the impression he gives me whenever he gets started. I have no such talent. I simply like the music. To me, it isn’t a science … it is about unfettered, unbriddled love of something so beautiful it can literally bring tears to my eyes if it’s done right.

Tonight, it was done right. The choir sang a wide variety of pieces … from old, danish psalms (and a couple of English ones for good measure), plus non-religious songs about the winter-season. They also had a few pieces in latin on their repetoire tonight. And it was all just … splendid.

I think that’s the right word for it.

Splendid.

I sat there for an hour and a half, most of the times with my eyes closed, listening to this wondrous music from so many lips. Towards the end, when they sang “Once in Royal David’s city”, my hands just started moving. I did try to keep them hidden behind the stall in front of me, but I just had to …

Afterwards, my friend told me he had noticed. And to my surprise, he said that it was actually possible to follow my direction.

I think he was just being nice, though, but it did make me a little less embarrassed

The point is, though … I love music. Many kinds of music. But there are few things that can make me relax so completely as what I heard tonight.

Look up a piece called “O magnum mysterium” if you doubt me … or rather, just go to this Youtube-link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VShyqHcWjPY and listen to it!

I am listening to it again as I write this. I don’t know why … but it touches something deep inside me, and makes me happy. And sad. It makes me long for something … it makes me know something I don’t know and it makes me content.

And it is not a religious feeling either. It is just … joy at something so beautiful.

They sang four little pieces by Poulenc. That one was just the one I liked best, personally. They sang three excerpts from Mendelsohn Bartholdy’s “Lobgesang”. Then a couple of danish psalms. One is a very well known and much beloved greeting of the sun as it rises from the sea, and the other was a beautiful little piece of baroque music I had never actually heard before. Then there was a brief interlude where the organ played Mendelsohn’s Opus 65, number 4. And then they went over to a number of non-religious songs, as mentioned. Their last two songs were “Away in a Manger” and “Once in Royal David’s city”.

I swear, if they had sung “Come all ye faithful” … I’d have bawled right then and there. Especially if they had sung it without trying to experiment with it like everyone and their mother seems to do these days. Crying shame, that … crying shame.

Anyway, I’ll go to bed with a head full of beautiful music today.

Oh … and I started drawing again.

I guess I’ll have to tell you all about that some other time.