Savvusanna Sõsarad
EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
" There is a meditative and deeply resonating quality to the music, further enhanced by a very favourable method of recording and mixing. "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the music as heard in the movie
Savvusanna Sõsarad (Smoke Sauna Sisterhood 2023) is a documentary directed by Anna Hints. It took the maker a lot of years to finish it, but the result is noteworthy. This is an intimate portrait of a group of women for whom the Estonian smoke sauna is where they make deep connections and share their most intimate stories.
Icelandic composer and co-sound designer Eðvarð Egilsson went to Estonia to experience what it is like, working with compatriot and sound designer Huldar Freyr Arnarson to recreate that smoke sauna experience the best they could.The result is a deeply evocative sound design. For the original score, Egilsson collaborated with EETER, an experimental folk trio formed by director Anna Hints, Marja-Liisa Plats and Ann Reimann. The score comprises five cues, approximately 13 minutes in total.
This ethereal score creates a strong connection with the women visiting the sauna. It can especially be heard through (mostly) Anna Hint's vocals, crying, wailing, and slightly sanguine in singing wordless phrases to atmospheric sounds coming from equally evocative electronics, bells, piano, and flute. There is a meditative and deeply resonating quality to the music, further enhanced by a very favourable method of recording and mixing.
Overall intensions aside, the music, especially when paired with atmospheric smokey shots of the surroundings, including clouds, has an air of conceivable quasi-spiritualism to itself, which, given all the strongly fulfilling elements of Savvusanna Sõsarad is abundantly admissible.
The women also sing Estonian folk songs and dance to traditional music performed on an accordion. The highlight of them singing a folk song comes after a deeply moving story of one of them towards the end of the documentary, in which rituals, cleansing, and kaleidoscopic emotions reach momentum.
Anna Hints played various roles: from director, co-producer, co-editor to screenwriter. In her musical role, she was the co-composer and vocalist for the original score and did improvised singing as a lead vocalist, among a chorus, in some of the Estonian traditional pieces.
The original score remains unreleased.
Original score credits:
“Smoke Arises”
Composed by Eðvarð Egilsson
Flute by Sara Di Costanzo
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Nobody Wanted a Girl”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Electronics by Marja-Liisa Plats and Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Nothing but a Kiss Was Allowed”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Bells by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Marja-Liisa Plats
“As You Slept I Drew You”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Bells by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Water, Take the Pain Away!”
Composed by Eðvarð Egilsson
Instrumentation (bells, percussions, piano by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Unnur Jónsdóttir, Anna Hints
Folk tunes
“Sauna Chant”
South Estonian family heritage chant passed on to Anna Hints
Improvised and performed by Anna Hints, Liis
Kuresoo, Marianne Ostrat, Eneli Rohtla
"Kargus"
Traditional Seto dance
Performed by Kaarin Parts
“Cheater Bridegroom”
Estonian folk song
Lead vocal by Liis Kuresoo
Chorus by Anna Hints, Merit Kask, Kadi Kivilo
"Kom lunkom"
Traditional Småland polska
Performed by Kaarin Parts
”Thank You Song for Smoke Sauna”
South Estonian folk song
Improvised and lead vocal by Anna Hints
Chorus by Marianne Ostra
28-12-2023)
Icelandic composer and co-sound designer Eðvarð Egilsson went to Estonia to experience what it is like, working with compatriot and sound designer Huldar Freyr Arnarson to recreate that smoke sauna experience the best they could.The result is a deeply evocative sound design. For the original score, Egilsson collaborated with EETER, an experimental folk trio formed by director Anna Hints, Marja-Liisa Plats and Ann Reimann. The score comprises five cues, approximately 13 minutes in total.
This ethereal score creates a strong connection with the women visiting the sauna. It can especially be heard through (mostly) Anna Hint's vocals, crying, wailing, and slightly sanguine in singing wordless phrases to atmospheric sounds coming from equally evocative electronics, bells, piano, and flute. There is a meditative and deeply resonating quality to the music, further enhanced by a very favourable method of recording and mixing.
Overall intensions aside, the music, especially when paired with atmospheric smokey shots of the surroundings, including clouds, has an air of conceivable quasi-spiritualism to itself, which, given all the strongly fulfilling elements of Savvusanna Sõsarad is abundantly admissible.
The women also sing Estonian folk songs and dance to traditional music performed on an accordion. The highlight of them singing a folk song comes after a deeply moving story of one of them towards the end of the documentary, in which rituals, cleansing, and kaleidoscopic emotions reach momentum.
Anna Hints played various roles: from director, co-producer, co-editor to screenwriter. In her musical role, she was the co-composer and vocalist for the original score and did improvised singing as a lead vocalist, among a chorus, in some of the Estonian traditional pieces.
The original score remains unreleased.
Original score credits:
“Smoke Arises”
Composed by Eðvarð Egilsson
Flute by Sara Di Costanzo
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Nobody Wanted a Girl”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Electronics by Marja-Liisa Plats and Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Nothing but a Kiss Was Allowed”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Bells by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Marja-Liisa Plats
“As You Slept I Drew You”
Composed by EETER and Eðvarð Egilsson
Bells by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Anna Hints
“Water, Take the Pain Away!”
Composed by Eðvarð Egilsson
Instrumentation (bells, percussions, piano by Eðvarð Egilsson
Vocals by Unnur Jónsdóttir, Anna Hints
Folk tunes
“Sauna Chant”
South Estonian family heritage chant passed on to Anna Hints
Improvised and performed by Anna Hints, Liis
Kuresoo, Marianne Ostrat, Eneli Rohtla
"Kargus"
Traditional Seto dance
Performed by Kaarin Parts
“Cheater Bridegroom”
Estonian folk song
Lead vocal by Liis Kuresoo
Chorus by Anna Hints, Merit Kask, Kadi Kivilo
"Kom lunkom"
Traditional Småland polska
Performed by Kaarin Parts
”Thank You Song for Smoke Sauna”
South Estonian folk song
Improvised and lead vocal by Anna Hints
Chorus by Marianne Ostra
28-12-2023)