While you read this Newsletter, here is a beautiful soundtrack from Haggard’s Album Tales of Ithiria, Upon Fallen Autumn Leaves — the story of someone’s wandering alone through a forest, accompanied only by mental images of the purities and the impurities of his own heart. To find one’s way out from fear, one must at least say a prayer for those one has hurt and to forgive those one has been hurt by. It is a beautiful song, but so far we have not rehearsed anything from this particular album. We’ve been focusing instead on covering And Thou Shalt Trust the Seer, Awaking the Centuries and Eppur si Muove — of which there still are some excellent pieces left for us to learn, to perform and to enjoy.
After playing at the first edition of Symphonic Metal Echoes in Alba Iulia in August, we had the pleasure of traveling to some of our friend’s cities in the following months to perform in local pubs. Here is a brief account of our autumnal journey (if you’ve been there with us, please hit reply and drop us a few lines about your experience)
Baia Mare, Rockwave Tavern / 27.09.2024
Ever wonder what sets the mood for a concert? It all starts with the various spectacular roads we take to arrive at the performance place. Beautiful landscapes, enchanting forests and old villages around Baia Mare were unfolding before our eyes, as we were getting closer and closer to the city. And as if awaken from some sort of dream, we soon found ourselves among cars, blocks and people of this vibrant city. Some of us were visiting Baia Mare for the first time. Right after the show at the Rockwave Tavern we spent a long night watching the stars like Galileo, on a wooden porch with an amazing landscape in sight. Peace and quiet, darkness, candlelight, the silhouette of an old church, a discreet moon hiding behind the clouds — this was the Haggardeque, hard to leave environment of our connecting, philosophising and vocal improvisations, until the early morning light.
Cluj-Napoca, Flying Circus / 5.10.2024
Then October called us to the impressive city of Cluj-Napoca, where we arrived on a grey and rainy afternoon. The drizzle was no hindrance to the slow paced people going their own ways in all directions along the busy streets. Our performance at the Flying Circus Pub was supported by a very friendly public, whose engagement with us drew the band to particularly highlight the metal aspects of the show, opening the scene to a great vibe for getting the bodies into movement, while we’re all alive and well. Cluj leaves us with a persistent trace of vitality. Thank you, Cluj!
Bucharest, University Pub / 1.11.2024
November days are shorter — less time available to watch the discreet fall of the colourful adornment of the trees in the parks and streets of the Capital City. So does it often happen that people live fast-forward to their elderly years, when they finally realise how little they’d engaged with the Beauty of this world. Travels to and from Bucharest are usually long, night time journeys for us who live in the North-West and Central Romania. The story of a Haggard song’s protagonist comes to mind: Als ich nun wand're auf dem Pfad, und die Dunkelheit verhüllt den Mondenschein der Licht mir gab, der das inn're Toben stilltt”: he is on the forest path, as the black veil of clouds covers the moon, depriving him of her calming light. Fortunately we do not have to travel on foot carrying all our gear on our shoulders and hanging in there through all sorts of calls to fight for survival, like so many of our ancestors had to, centuries ago. It’s painful to realise that some people, in other parts of the world, still live this kind of realities nowadays. Our 45 minutes opening concert went by quickly and we’ve had to renounce some of the songs, to fit the designated schedule. May all sorrows in the world go by quickly and may all renunciations adorn people’s souls.
Sibiu, Love Bar / 13.12.2024
We reached our destination in Sibiu on a chilly winter afternoon, in an almost perfect synchronicity. There we were, sharing the sidewalk, finding our way to this welcoming stage of the Love Bar. Once the stage was ready and the soundcheck left everything in good anticipative order, our loving audience started gathering — what an exciting occasion to meet old friends and to make new ones! How powerful the concert vibe was with such a dynamic spirit of the public! How happy we were to learn that for some of the guests it was their first encounter with Haggard’s music and that some, who’d had no idea what they were going to hear and feel that evening, our performance was deeply impactful in beautiful and unexpected ways. Familiar faces from the crowd, still so fond of our show even after hearing it so many times, have played an important role in our artistic act: they move with us, they sing with us, they enjoy with us, they express appreciation for our continuous improvement and dedication and they make every while worth the effort! Thank you, Coincidentia Oppositorum family for your continuous support and fun!
Upcoming
So what are you going to do next time we’re going to be rehearsing in Alba Iulia? Would you like to come for a visit? Rehearsals usually last for three weekend days, between 2 or 4 pm until around midnight and we manage to go through all the songs at least a couple of times each day. At times we play Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd or other artist’s work as variation, as learning opportunity and, of course, as enjoyment. November rehearsals were between the 15th and 17th. The January rehearsals will be on the 17th, 18th and 19th. Please be in touch with us if you are interested in a visit.
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