23 December 2012

The day before the day

Once again I've been too busy to write anything wise (nor funny) here. But today, the evening before Christmas Eve, I want to share some of my recent thoughts and lifeexperience.
After a semester filled with sounds, words and new challenges, it was once again time for my exams. Literature went better than expected with some strange analysis of "The Icecastle" by Tarjei Vesaas and a few pages of pure nonsense. This I got a B for.
The other one with morphology, sentencestructure and phonetics went amazingly well concerning the fact that I had struggled so much with it, not understanding a damn thing. Got me a D.

Next thing was the christmasconcert with Hamar Cathedral-choir. Singing both Bach and Vivaldi was a dream coming true for me, and tge concert ended with two traditional christmascarols and lots of praise from the alto soloist.  Æppppppæåææåæææp ææææææææææææææ
Æx             å          xxz

This year Christmas will be spent with my boyfriend's family, first time away from my own family. But will be visiting them on the 27th, my big, noisy family.
So new traditions are being made and the christmasspirit is right around the corner.

Wish you all a very merry Christmas


15 October 2012

Sleepless nights

Here I lie, staring at the wall in front of me.
I'm sleepy and yet I'm not...analyzing every breath I take and try to ignore the itching pain in my left foot, the light snooring from my boyfriend and the thought that monday is just a few hours away. A monday filled with syntax, meetings and probably rain. Wish I could sleep...
My brain is on overdrive at the moment..like every thought passing through is equally important and therefor need my full attention...
For God's sake! It's 02:35 in the morning...wish I could switch myself off now and then. Just an empty night now and then. Please?

1 October 2012

Update

I've been a bad bad blogger....
Yes I have been bad, but for a reason...I have been occupied...by language and literature...and a bit of music too.
So what has happened since my last post (which was way too short..)?
*I'm in the middle of my scandinavian studies which includes both language and literature...and my heart beats for the latter. I see the meaning and importance of understanding how the language is constructed...but my god! Compared to the passion of the literature...it feels like I've been eating sand.
But I will get through...just you wait!
*I've started working out! My motivation lies in my wardrobe: all my beautiful corsets. I want to wear them with pride again.
*AND: I've been accepted as a member in Hamar Cathedral Choir...so filling my time with both Bach and Vivaldi at the moment.

The autumn has arrived in Hamar with its radiant colors and fresh air....soon snow?

And here are some more pictures from my trip to Ireland this summer...memories are good to have in the cold dark nights we enter now

From a bookshop in Wexford

The Pikeman

From Eniscorthy Castle

Lunch in Dingle...yummy


Bull at Cliffs of Moher

Galway

Galwayshop

2 August 2012

New Chapter

Back from Ireland and have plenty to do before school starts again in 3 weeks time. My curriculumlist has no less than 20 books on it...hurray!
By the way: got into Norwegian Studies, and can't wait to get started...I will of course update my blog now and then with some small stories and pictures from Ireland.
So here we go, my post number 500...

I found a piano in Buncrana...and it was even in tune!

View from Vinegar Hill in Wexford

Two wonderful guys I played a session with in "Matt Molloy's" in Westport
View from Croagh Patrick
 See ye soon

18 June 2012

A hey from Wexford

Now I've once more started on my musical journey around Ireland, this summer starting in Wexford. I'm staying with a nice couple Mary and Andrew in the middle of the town and their place is right beside the old wall..or what's left of it. Today I will go exploring in the sunny weather, and I'll be back with more updates later

7 May 2012

8 days...left

Just 8 days until my exam, and changes have been made in what I'm going to sing. Instead of "Where the wild roses grow" I will sing one of the most beautiful jazzballads I know of:

NATURE BOY


Here sung by an amazing artist; Radka Toneff

So fingers crossed for the next 8 days...

14 April 2012

1 month

The sun is shining outside and I believe the spring is on its way...but what am I doing? Homework!
The reason for this is simple: 1 month until my 2 excruciating exams; piano and singing, so I have to spend every moment available rehearsing. The pianoplaying is the worst, since I'm so slow with it, though I seem to be able to play both "The Highwayman" by Loreena McKennitt, "Foggy Dew" and "Johnny I hardly knew ye".

When it comes to singing, the theme I'm subconciously have chosen is "murder". I have to sing for 15 minutes, and so far these are the songs I've chosen:

  • The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - sooo hard to learn since the singer and the piano will go "crashing" into eachother throughout the whole song...but who am I to complain? It is Stephen Sondheim's work after all...
 

  • Mackie Messer - awesome blooddripping song by Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht. Gives me a chance to be quite theatrical and dramatic...so looking for a blue handkerchief, a knife and a hat...
  • Where the wild roses grow - Nick Cave..what more is there to say

So back to rehearsing...and in 5 weeks time I will  be out of here

3 March 2012

Me singing....oh my god

One of my favorite songs

23 February 2012

My new home?

Can you guess where I have lost my heart?










Hamar

20 February 2012

19. February 2012

Yesterday I experienced something I probably will never experience ever again...sadly..
It was time for Rammstein again, a band that has 'followed' me through much of my life thanks to my older brother who introduced me to their music when he was babysitting me and my sister maaany years ago..
Rammstein is more than just a band, they are a phenomenon. Their lyrics can be said to be hiding in plain sight and it is easy to just see one layer to them, just see something that you cannot take seriously.
But they are, in their own peculiar way.

It was a cold and sunny day, and after nearly 3 hours standing outside Valhall where the concert would be taking place, I could barely feel my toes. But believe me: IT WAS WORTH IT!
Inside we got some places up on the tribune so we would look down on the stage and as the night progressed we understood that we barely could have chosen better places to stand.
Quick I changed into my corset and was ready for an evening of epic proportions.

First on stage was Deathstars, an industrial gothmetalband from Sweden. They have musical elements that I find interesting, but all they did this night was to play what sounded the same throughout. As my friend said: it sounded almost like an everlasting song. It also felt like the vocalist had a really crappy microphone, so I couldn't get much sense out of what he sang or said. The one guitarist was cool though; head-banging like no other with VERY long dreads. Esthetically it looked like a mixture of Marilyn Manson, a tiny bit of Rammstein and a hint of something dark and funny...
But we had not come to listen to Deathstars, and we almost counted the minutes, the second until Rammstein would go on...

And what an opening! They came marching in, not onto the enormous stage in front, but from behind the audience, carrying flames and flags. A pathway were lowered from the ceiling and they could walk across the audience onto the stage. If the audience could have shot sparks from anticipation...the room was buzzing.

The setlist was totally amazing, combined with as much flames, lights and fireworks you can imagine. And the whole concert felt like it could go on and on..like it could never stop.
From where we stood we could indeed feel the heat, and Rammstein gave its audience what they had only dreamed about but what they knew Rammstein would be the only ones that could pull it through.
  • Sonne - they really started with a bang, and when we sang "Einz, zwei..."etc the flames followed us faithfully. 
  • Wollt ihr das bett in Flammen sehen - one word that echoed in the room during this: RAMMSTEIN!
  • Keine Lust - this has always given me some kind of goosebumps, and I certainly got it yesterday
  • Sehnsucht - one of the songs I don't know very well, but still I enjoyed it immensely
  • Asche zu Asche - from this I couldn't stop smiling. Their music makes me happy
  • Feuer Frei! - What would this song be without flames, fireworks or Till going mad on stage? AWESOME!
  • Mutter - felt good to wind down a bit with this which I consider one of their most beautiful songs
  • Mein Teil - of course Till had to dress up as a butcher and boil Flake...freaky and intriguing
  • Du Riechst So Gut - at this point I know there is no return, this is becoming the best concert EVER
  • Links 2-3-4 - makes me want to march...
  • Du Hast - time to go mental! When the whole place was singing along, I got goosebumps that never disappeared
  • Haifisch - Flake in boat...floating on the audience. A hint to Mackie Messer I've been told...(not the boat, the song)
  • Bück Dich - oh my f****** god! Drummer in a dress with the rest of the band in leashes, like dogs. They were moving across the bridge once more and suddenly the scene was in the middle of the audience. 
This is from Moscow...and convey what I try to explain...
I simply love this song...am I weird? Yes
  • Mann Gegen Mann - this song made me want to dive deeper into the album "Rosenrot"
  • Ohne Dich - I nearly cried here...so sensitive and deep-felt..one of the many highlights
  • Mein Herz Brennt - fitted so perfectly after Ohne Dich...hard to describe such a seamless concert
  • Amerika - sing-along! and...glitter
  • Ich Will - love this song because it really invites the audience into taking part in the song as they answer Till as he sings "Kann ihn mich hören (can you hear me) and we answer "wir kann dich hören" (we can hear you). Nearly no voice left at this point...but I don't give a damn!
  • Engel - Till will make a terrific angel...he was wearing angelwings that shot flames...almost speechless and smiling like a maniac
  • Pussy - Feeling like a child again...jumping up and down, headbanging and screaming in joy
When it was over, I could not believe it: I had witnessed something that will mark me for a long time, something that will make me smile when I think about it, and which has confirmed my ties to this band and to their music.
All I can say now is this:

THANK YOU RAMMSTEIN FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE GIVEN ME AS I HAVE LISTENED TO YOUR MUSIC. 


30 January 2012

30. january 1972 - 40 years ago

40 years ago the events of Derry shook a whole world.
38 of these have been poisoned by those responsible not wanting to face up to what they had done.
After 38 years noone could hide the truth anymore and now they who are left behind are being given a possibility to step out of the shadows of the past and look forward.
The poisoned wound is clean and the healing can begin.

To those who died

27 January 2012

A new inspiration

And here we are, in 2012. The year of the dragon and a time to look for inspiration. I'm halfway through my musical studies here in Volda, and since it is driving me mental from time to time I've decided to get read more.
Not curriculum or boring books about didactics, singing technique or how to survive as a student.
No, I wanted to return to fictional litterature and first on the list was Lord of the Rings...until I picked up a book which did not seem very special. I sat down and started to read...
I simply devoured the pages, I could not stop reading and in two days time I was through 390 pages! I asked myself what had just happened, and I understood: this was a book to get addicted to.
Can you guess which book I read?

It felt so good to be able to sit back and enjoy such a good piece of writing and now I've started on the second part of the first book....
My recommendations to you all: Read it and you will not regret it

7 January 2012

Ireland in pictures

Kinlay Hostel

Just to be sure you get it

Maybe they are right - from Cork

Michael and Levi - Ballyliffin

Baaa!

Our street in Dublin

Porterhouse

Outdoor market, just around the corner from where we stayed - Dublin

Bird caught on cam by my sister

the traffic don't scare me...

he seemed to pop up everywhere in Dublin...

not an ugly, but cute little duckling

the beaches of Tramore

Not something you see very often: a shy donkey - Fanad

Handmade by Brian, our host

Interesting....

Isn't there??

Detail from Howth

Perhaps needed when you are taking the train from Cork....?

Do girls need more guiding than boys?

Detail from Cork

Heaven on earth

Michael's clothespeg-bag
Memorial for those who fell in the Anglo-Boer War - Belfast

Detail from Kelly's - Belfast

When the drink is in, the sense is out...

Beautiful church in the southern part of Belfast

From the botanical garden in Belfast

What I found when I got lost in Belfast

Detail from the Crown Liquor saloon in Belfast