The Singing Revolution

by Barbara Rose Shuler

The Bach Festival’s film presentations this year included the heart-touching French movie The Chorus and the stunning 2006 documentary called “The Singing Revolution” about the Estonian struggle for independence from the Soviets.

In spite of some techno-glitches, which necessitated skipping some important sections of the film, the presentation was a gripping revelation about the power of song and the will and tenacity of the Estonian people.

“This singing together was our power,” says one man.

Estonia is a small country on the Baltic Sea and for thousands of years has endured invaders greedy for the strategic advantages of its gateway location to the inland regions.

The forces of Hitler, Stalin and the Soviets almost annihilated this tiny republic during the brutal 20th century. Locked behind the Soviet curtain of silence, most people outside of Estonia had no idea about the monstrous violence the Estonians suffered for over 50 years.

The Estonian Song Festival, “Laulupidu”, founded in 1869, became a unifying force for the nation entire. Forbidden to sing anything but Soviet propaganda songs, one hundred years later in 1969, 30,000 singers took the stage to sing one song in an astonishing act of non-violent resistance. Estonia led the way with its singing revolution, inspiring the oppressed of other republics to throw off the yoke of the Soviets, ending its hideous era of aggression.

This is a film about hope, freedom and the might of music to change the world. Produced by James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty with narrated by Linda Hunt, the film was released in 2006 and in my view should be seen by any human who loves freedom and certainly everyone who loves music.

I just found the film on Netflix and noticed that you can purchase it on Amazon as well.

Thank you, Bach Festival for showing this film!

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Barbara Rose Shuler writes Intermezzo, which chronicles classical music, in the Monterey Herald's Go! Magazine each week. She can be contacted at wordways@comcast.net.
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