Fiumicello che con l’onda | Carlo Eustachio | NOI - Maikki Säikkä, soprano & Tuomas Kourula, theorbo

[@Santtumaa]

😭😍

[@AnneliinaRif]

🩵 And the last frame brought the tears - that I had been holding back - to my eyes 🩵 I love you, my fellow NOI.

[@mariannemaiwald4657]

Thank You so much ! Listening to it was a gift for my ears and my soul as well !

[@TurkuEarlyMusic]

Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@Francesc1983]

What a marvelous piece of music by a great composer I did not know about! First thing I absolutely need to say is, after a while since the last time I listened to her: Maikki is utterly magnificent in this. Tremendous breath control, impressive “singing line” - I don’t know if that’s a thing in English? - and delightful dynamics. Stunning. Of course, it all would be meaningless were it not for her honesty and humaneness of both feeling and voice. Tuomas is elegant, stern, and grave, which we are already used to; the sound of his lute is like a clock signaling the time passing by, with its dark and earthy twang adding the much needed richness and weight to the harmony. Simply wonderful, in the unpretending and authentic way I know and love! The video itself also deserves a special mention, as well as the snippets of knowledge you drop on the description box. It makes sense that Maikki is the river that goes to die to the sea. In any case, it’s comforting to know that no Maikkis were damaged in the making of this video 😛! A warm hug from Spain 🥰.

[@TurkuEarlyMusic]

Thank you - once again, your guiding insight cuts right to the heart of the matter! The theorbo player himself also thinks that maybe a little less gravity and weight might suffice, and theorbo’s characteristic darkness could benefit from some whimsy and playfulness ;) something to aim for in the future. And your description of Maikki’s singing is wonderful!

[@Francesc1983]

@@TurkuEarlyMusic It is of course a matter of personal taste. I love the dark and weighty aspect of certain string instruments, especially in the deeper end of their tessitura; they feel like an ancient tree sinking their roots into the earth, a very powerful and primal sensation which, in my opinion, suits this piece and its tone very well. At any rate, I think this music is very well written, and the composer certainly knew how certain specific notes would sound and the feelings they would evoke. As for Tuomas, he has already proven how the theorbo can also sound fun, joyful, and even silly sometimes. I wholeheartedly trust his musical taste, and I very much look forward to listening to any new experiment he is willing to indulge in 😃.

[@maikkisaikka4099]

Hola Francesc! Yep, no damage done, quite contrary; this was probably the most pleasent shoot ever. I mean actually, what would be better than plunge into a warm sea swell?! 🥰 And thank You again from your overwhelming words. But you know, about the theorbo here, it is actually like the sea current, isn’t it? So, singing on the bass line in this song is like floating on a current - everything is so easy and comfortable, if you just keep following the current 🥰🎶 This really is so well written; a masterpiece, and one of my all time favourites. A warm hug from the shores of the Baltic sea to Spain!

[@Francesc1983]

@@maikkisaikka4099 I completely agree with you. It is sometimes hard to find the right words without ranting and ending up writing a whole essay, but I especially love your analogy with the sea, since it’s a very powerful figure to me, personally. I have come to feel that voice and instrument influence each other, actually transforming their own sound to incorporate aspects of the other. A voice without a context might sound beautiful by its own merits, but it may be sometimes akin to a question without an answer. I have the impression that the theorbo here is grounding and supportive of your voice, in a way; not only as a takeoff runway of sorts, from where you can open your wings and fly, but also shining a light over you, under which you effectively change your appearance, revealing a different perspective which would not have been seen without said light. And the same applies the other way. Also, the contrast between both timbres all but accentuate their individual beauty, making them more understandable in the context of this music. I don’t know if anything I just wrote made any sense - it does to me 🤣. Best wishes to the both of you!