Yesterday, I was at Tampere Hall listening to the Gala concert of "International Leevi Madetoja Male Voice Choir Competition".
The International Leevi Madetoja Male Voice Choir Competition was held for the
sixth time in April 2015 in Tampere, Finland. It is the only choir competition
in the Nordic countries which is solely for male voices.
I started to get ready early and took a bus to downtown and went to my
dad’s to watch the rest of a Finnish hockey game, while drinking a glass of sparkling
wine. After that we took a taxi to the Tampere Hall and arrived there in good time.
We found good seats and the concert started right on time. Before the main
performances there was a boy choir “Pirkanpojat” singing.
At the beginning there were 35 men’s choirs around Finland – that’s 1200
singers. There were nine men’s choirs left in the Gala concert. Really all
except one male choir were performing a cappella – it was a nice change,
because without music you really hear the singing!
After all the performances, there was a prize ceremony and after that,
all of the male singers rose up and sang two songs, and the last song was “Finlandia”
hymn which, to me, crowned the whole Gala concert perfectly!
After the concert I looked behind my back and saw the Tampere Hall in
the light of a setting sun. The concert was really excellent! I love a bit of
culture in my life every now and then...
I must say that my Christmas spirit has been quite missing lately, even
we go towards Christmas... Some of the reasons I know, but some of the reasons still
stay unknown to me.
Even Christmas has become very advertised holiday, I still kind of enjoy the
endless Christmas commercials coming from the television – not because I’m a
perfect target to buy everything for I do not think Christmas is all about presents,
but it creates some sort of atmosphere. I’ve heard my share of Christmas songs in
the shops and markets, but I haven’t really listened many of them myself...
Maybe that’s one “symptom” of the missing Christmas spirit I’ve had lately.
But! I found it. I finally found it! The lost Christmas spirit I had been
looking for!
We went to a Christmas Market which is held every year at downtown. It
lasted 18 days this year and the time went by so fast that we went there on the
last day, which was today – but the market was still far from empty! We
strolled through the whole market and then we left to a near church to listen
to a men’s choir singing Christmas carols.
The men’s choir was the same which I went to listen at Tampere-talo at
the beginning of December but it is always so good that it is worth listening.
I knew that if anything, it would lift my Christmas spirit – and I was right...
After the concert I felt so, so good and my feelings felt so uplifted. It was
just what I needed!
There is one other thing which would definitely lift my Christmas spirit if
everything goes well and tomorrow I will know will it happen or not...
But for now I wish you all very peaceful Christmas waiting!
My father and his wife will be out of town for
the holidays so we decided I’d go there before he was leaving, a few days
before Christmas so I could spend it with both of my parents as I always like
to do. This I had been waiting for so much! I stood there overnight (more about
that later) and today he dropped me at home so he could go to the church to
practice with the men’s choir group ”Mieskuoro Laulajat” for they were
performing later in the evening and I could get myself ready.
So tonight I was at Pirkkala’s church listening
a Christmas concert sung by men’s choir group ”Mieskuoro Laulajat” where both
my father and godfather sing in. The same concert was also at Tuomiokirkko some
days earlier but I decided to go to Pirkkala’s church for I had never been
there even I have been living here for over a year. And also because, even the
both concerts had the same setlist, my own godfather was singing “Varpunen
Jouluaamuna” (translated: “Sparrow on Christmas Morning”) there. He didn’t sing
it at Tuomiokirkko so some other choir member sung it. And we had just been at
Tuomiokirkko listening ”Patriotic Festivities” (Isänmaallinen juhla) where
there was the same choir group singing. There was an actual news about my
godfather performing “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” at Pirkkala’s church on Pirkkala’s
official newspaper. Pretty cool...
I waited the song “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” the most but I liked many of the Christmas songs the choir performed; "Jouluyö, juhlayö" ("Silent Night, Holy Night"), "Nyt syttyy valot tuhannet", "Hiljainen joululaulu", "Tule joulu kultainen", "Toivioretkellä" and "Joulun kellot". They were so perfect! It was great to hear my father and godfather sing in the choir. The Christmas concert really lifted my Christmas spirit which has gotten a little bit down because there's no snow on the ground - but then I remembered that Christmas is not about snow but being with the people you love and eating well and the feeling of Christmas comes from the other things such as Christmas tree and decorating it and everything...
I’ve started to enjoy mornings even more and take more out of them than just
wake up and eat something quickly and that’s my morning – it used to be like
that... Sometimes when I’m in a hurry it’s still like it, but now I have tried
to take more time to myself and indulge myself a little.
I have started to bake again and one of my
morning started with fresh vegan scones with raspberry jam and vegan whipped
cream (I know it’s not traditional like clotted cream). Having them for the
first thing in the morning with a cup of tea was heavenly...
Last Thursday we went eating out with my mom as
a pre-Christmas dinner. We had decided that we would eat anything else but
Christmas food so it will be for the first time in the whole year on Christmas
Eve, for if (at least) I eat Christmas food any time of the year I got bored to
it very easily and I still have to eat it after Christmas as long as it lasts.
I don’t like to throw food away.
So anything else but Christmas food – that’s right; pizza. For a vegan or a
vegetarian it more simple to take a pizza where you can choose your own
toppings, even it’s usually the most expensive pizza on the menu – not to mention
if you want an extra toppings besides the usual 3 or 4 toppings. Anyway, I
chose red onion, pesto-roasted bell pepper, fresh tomato and fresh mushroom
pizza. When the waitress brought them to the table I was first astonished the
amount of cheese on the pizza but got over it because the pizza was so good...
On the next day, on Friday, I was at the town
and we met with my mother after she got out of work. She had suddenly
remembered that a deal she had bought from the internet would expire on the
same day. The deal was about to get a mud cake over a hot beverage at a local café.
We were a bit in a hurry because the café would close in less than an hour. It
was a comfy-looking tiny café with awesome looking baked goods and cakes on the
display counter. We got the mud cakes and the waitress topped them with whipped
cream.
My hot beverage of choice was tea, of course,
even mulled wine was also tempting because it was Christmas time. This time I
chose vanilla tea for I thought it would suit best with the mud cake.
The mud cake was so rich and dark and good, it
almost felt sinful to eat it. But it soon disappeared from my plate...
After we left the café we went to a Christmas
Market – but that’s already on my previous post.
December has been so full of everything (concerts, eating out, seeing people,
etc.) and I have enjoyed all of it! I don’t want this to end...
Christmas is in two days... oh yes, I do count days.
