As the storm raged on my way to Opera Leśna , it felt as though the spirits of the woods were awakening, adding an otherworldly dimension to the evening’s performances. The heavy rain, the sound or water hitting the trees and the ground, and the scent of wet leaves and bitumen all contributed to a layer of mystery and darkness. It was here that Kalandra, Sowulo, and Heilung, each conjured ancient spirits, transporting the audience to a time when the boundary between the earthly and the ethereal was as thin as a whisper in the wind.
Kalandra: A Rebirth in Music
First to grace the beautiful stage of Opera Leśna was Kalandra. After six months immersed in the creative cocoon of their studio, crafting their upcoming album, “A Frame of Mind“, they emerged to unveil their music in a live performance that felt like a rebirth.
The band’s dynamic drums reverberated through the forest, stirring the audience’s bodies and souls, compelling them to move, dance, and sync with the primal beats. The bass and electric guitar added a grounding, earth-like heaviness, anchoring the performance in a deep, resonant groove.
The singer’s voice soared above the earthy tones, ascending like a lark through stormy clouds. This duality of grounding rhythms and ethereal vocals created a captivating balance, making listeners feel as if they were part of an ancient ritual – a dance between earth and sky.
Sowulo: The Cycle of Life and Nature
Following Kalandra, Sowulo took the stage, their name deriving from the Proto-Germanic word for the Sun. Their music embodies the cyclical nature of life. Their performance was a musical narrative of day and night, birth and death, seasons turning like the pages of an old, mystical tome. With a blend of modern and folk instruments, they wove the essence of bygone eras into the fabric of the present, creating a bridge across time that resonated with the soul’s yearning for connection to the natural world.
Heilung: A Journey to Ancient Times
The night reached its pinnacle with Heilung. It was my first time seeing them and the whole experience felt like a spiritual ceremony. The ritual began with the smudging of the space, a purification that set the stage for unity and connection. As the band joined hands in a circle, their voices rose in unison, declaring unity with each other and with all of creation. This affirmation, amidst the enchanting backdrop of Opera Leśna, was a powerful incantation that seemed to echo through the ages.
Heilung’s mystical tale was a journey back to the Viking and Iron Age, a time when the bond between humanity and the earth was written in the language of runes. The stage became a portal to that ancient world, with every prop, instrument, costume, and story steeped in the lore of the land. The audience, entranced, responded with howls that merged with the night, as if a pack of wolves had joined in the sacred rite.
A Night to Remember
The climax of the evening saw fans joining the band in front of the stage in a frenzied dance, blurring the lines between performer and spectator, human and spirit. It was a fitting end to a night where the past was not just remembered but relived.
In the shelter of the forest, under the watchful eye of the storm and the ancient trees, Opera Leśna had become a crossroads of worlds, a place where the music of the earth and the whispers of the ancestors could be heard as one. And for one enchanted evening, the spirits of Pagan folklore danced among the living, and the echoes of their revelry would linger long after the storm had passed.
