For Swedish Choir, The Rising, their second trip to Coimbatore was so rewarding that their conductor, Cecilia Ohrwall promised that they would be coming back again to perform. Dressed in shimmery sarees, with bindis and jasmine flowers, the all women, 15- member choir entertained the audience to a number of Swedish and English songs.
Put together by the Coimbatore Music School, the night was also peppered with performances by the students from the school as well as children from the Mehar Children's Village. Said Cecilia, “We have been practising along with the kids ever since we arrived in India. But we had emailed notes to them before so they could practise the songs.”
Though they were in a foreign language, it was impossible not to be moved by the Swedish songs. Some of the songs they sang included a folksong - Till Osterland vill jag fara (I'm longing for the East), Lyckan Kommer, Lyckan Gommer (Happiness comes and goes) and Hemlangtan (Homesick). Cecilia was a marvel on the flute.
There were also a few foot tapping classics to lighten up the evening, such as “Seasons of Love” from the musical, Rent, “On Top of the World” from Carpenters, and “My favourite things” from The Sound of Music . Gabriella's song — a Swedish melody that had two soloists bring up the lead, was breathtaking.
And of course, what is a night of music without The Beatles! Saranya sang “Help from my friend”. Vineeth helped her by singing the chorus. He also played an original untitled composition on his piano. The tiny tots of The Coimbatore Music School sang a medley with evergreen classics such as “Doe a deer”, “Down by the bay” and “Join the Coca Line”. The audience joined in. Michael Jackson's “Heal the World” followed and that was followed by the vigorous Swedish number, “La ti do re”. The Swedish singers along with the other children sang and danced together.
Surprise! Surprise!
But the highlight of the evening was when the students of the Coimbatore Music School burst into “Sang pill FriheTen” (Song for freedom). The choir broke into delighted applause and sang along . “This is a very popular song in Sweden which means, you have the right to be who you are. It was a great choice and a wonderful surprise ,” said Cecilia.
The choir will now proceed to Thiruvananthapuram for their next performance.
