Sabine Burger

A delight for the eyes (and ears)

"Laulan laevatäie" (Singing a Shipful) (2016) is an over-sized 'coffee-table' book featuring photographs of Estonian choral performers, culture and nature by Swiss photographer Sabine Burger. The photos are accompanied by essays related to Estonian folk culture and singing from the writers Lauri Sommer, Valdur Mikita, Eero Raun and Ly Seppel.

Photographer Sabine Burger provides her own essay about her background and interest in Estonian choral culture and also gives some intriguing historical information about how early 19th Century Swiss Song Festivals provided one of the inspirations for Johann Voldemar Jannsen to organize Estonia's first such festival in 1869.

There is also a short story "Laulupeole minek" (Going to the Song Festival) by Kristiina Ehin which is the only one of the longer texts to have appeared previously in the collaboration "Kirjatud teekond" (English edition: "Ornamented Journey") (2012). A variety of Estonian or Setu (a Southern Estonian dialect) runic song texts and various classic poems related to Estonian music and culture (e.g. "Muusika" by Juhan Liiv, "Kuu" (Moon) by Kristjan Jaak Peterson etc.) are scattered throughout.

The photographs cover a wide variety of choral activity from rehearsals, relaxation, communal gatherings and performances with the main highlights being those taken at the 2014 Laulupidu held at the Song Festival grounds in Tallinn. A dozen or so photos are of various mystical-looking land and forestscapes. Samples of the photographs can be seen at the book's official website at http://www.laulanlaevataie.ee or at its crowdfunding page at http://www.hooandja.ee/projekt/raamat-laulan-laevataie

This has all been lovingly and carefully put together and the quality and attention to detail of the photographs and the thoughtfulness and selection of the writings make for a joyful and immersive experience. There is no "sound" as such, but you may very well find yourself singing along to the some of the song or poem texts, so I would still call this print book an interactive or synesthetic read.… (mer)

"Die ersten Sommertage des Jahres 1945 rieselten dahin",
als der 10-jährige David von seinem Vater, einem kundigen
Antiquar, in Barcelona zum Friedhof der Vergessenen Bücher
geführt wird. Ein geheimer Ort, ein "Mysterium", wo für
immer die Bücher leben, an die sich niemand mehr erinnert.
Wer die Stätte zum 1. Mal betritt, muss ein Buch
"adoptieren", er muss dafür sorgen, dass es weiterlebt.
David wählt den in weinrotes Leder gebundenen Band "Im
Schatten des Windes" von Julián Carax. "Rettungslos
hineingestürzt" in die Lektüre, lässt ihn die Geschichte,
die Suche eines Mannes nach seinen Wurzeln, nicht mehr los. Die Nachforschungen nach dem vergessenen Autor führen zu
abenteuerlichen, seltsamen Begegnungen, in eine Welt von
Bildern und Gefühlen, in die sich der Ich-Erzähler
flüchtet, "bis sie mit meinem eigenen Leben verschmolz",
Geschichte und Gegenwart ineinander fließen.… (mer)