In the Steps of Forgotten Peoples – A Collegium Musicale Documentary Film

EMW Presents:

Unustatud rahvaste jälgedes/In the Steps of Forgotten Peoples

A Collegium Musicale Documentary Film

October 17th, 2021 at 3 pm (EDT)

In English, on the VEMU YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jSdiEIeGes&ab_channel=VEMU

 Film screening of “Unustatud rahvaste jälgedes” (ERR 2021, 88 min, Director: Erle Veber, Camera: Meelis Mäekivi, Editor: Ruth Alaküla) followed by a discussion with conductor Endrik Üksvärav and Finno-Ugrist Taisto Raudalainen.

 The film follows Estonian chamber choir Collegium Musicale as they travel to visit and perform for the Finno-Ugric peoples whose folklore was the basis for Veljo Tormis’ choral masterpiece “Unustatud rahvad”/”Forgotten Peoples”.

Half a century ago, composer Veljo Tormis went on his first expedition through historical Livonia, and the experiences he gained from the trip inspired the creation of his choral cycle piece “Liivlaste pärandus”. For 30 years, choral works based on Votian, Isurian, Ingrian, Veps and Karelian folklore followed, which resulted in the cumulative masterpiece “Unustatud rahvad”/”Forgotten Peoples”. Many of these Baltic Finnish peoples are on the verge of extinction and have languages spoken by only a few people. For three years, the top Estonian chamber choir “Collegium Musicale” and Fenno-Ugria, the organization promoting cooperation with the Finno-Ugric peoples, visited all the peoples whom composer Veljo Tormis had musically portrayed in his in this work, where they sang them the music based on their own folklore. (ERR.ee)