Today, Estonian duo Katariina Kivi and Ann-Lisett Rebane, better known as Duo Ruut, are having a showcase at WOMEX in Lisbon which Andrew Cronshaw is introducing. It was around a year ago, almost to the day, that I shared their video for Nightingale. They are the type of duo that, once seen and heard you never forget. Who else stands on either side of an Estonian zither playing together the way they do? They’ve been growing their audience since I last posted about them and earlier this year they were special guests of José González at Alexela Concert Hall.
Whilst their music could be called minimalist, there is also something quite ancient about the way they sing together; it almost feels like a ritual, even sacred.
In their own words, they are “Inspired by the Estonian heritage, we draw influence from the beliefs of different cultures and our own contemporary and emotive songwriting. Our music is minimalist at its core but packed with new and imaginative ideas.”
Listen to their latest single Liisa pehmes süles below:
“This captivating love song brings you back to 1995 and Estonians in Siberia. The song tells a story about a broken love… It combines old & new, humanity & craving, all of which took on a strong and different meaning in [the] context of all the Estonians banished to the Russian territory during the last century*. We think it is an important story to tell, considering the circumstances in the world today.“
*Operation Priboi was the code name for the Soviet mass deportation from the Baltic states on 25–28 March 1949. The deportations targeted primarily women, children and the elderly calling them ‘anti-Soviet elements’. Read more here.
You have to see them perform, so here is a live performance of Tantsma kutsumine that was recorded earlier this year.