Bubbles and a silent disco: Counter-propaganda concert held on Narva riverbank

Estonian singer Florian Wahl held a silent disco concert on Narva promenade on Saturday (May 9) at the same time as Russia held its annual Victory Day "propaganda concert" across the river in Ivangorod.
The idea for the event was proposed by director Ken Saan, whose recent work explores Russian propaganda, after he recorded Russia's May 9 "Victory Day" concert from across the river last year.
The filmmaker then decided to organize a"counter-concert," Delfi wrote, and contacted the award-winning Wahl to see if he was interested in taking part.
"Russia's propaganda concert is structured in an interesting way — it is soft, with the message 'We care about you!,' but at the same time also threatening," Saan told the outlet.
"Our job is to reach ordinary Narva residents," Saan explained last week. "To show them that we are reacting. There is no point for us in entering into dialogue [with the Russian side], which means that we are, as it were, building a filter in between. When the Russian hoopla comes blaring across the river, we appear there in the middle — Florian rises up on a platform to give a concert."
Saan told newspaper Postimees that Russia shows Estonia a very outdated image from its riverbank, while Wahl's music acts like a fresh breeze against this background, full of wit and irony.

"In speaking with Narva residents, I got the message that you have to come here and talk to people — nothing else will help against it," Saan told the outlet, speaking about the impact of the Kremlin propaganda concert on local residents.
Bubbles were also fired at Russia from the Estonian promenade.
"It would be pure joy if a pink bubble fell on the nose of some evil Russian general and burst," said Saan, who believes that the bubble attack symbolizes that people on the other side of the border often live in an information bubble.
Wahl's concert took place as a silent disco format, reaching listeners through headphones, next to the border and bridge that connects both countries. The singer stood on a platform that rose up from the promenade.
"A hundred meters across the river, there is also a concert on the Russian side, a big nostalgia mega-concert. We are in their field of view, on our own small platform on the promenade," he explained before the concert.

At the same time, the headphones also carried live commentary about Russia's concert taking place in Ivangorod by editor-in-chief of Postimees' Russian edition Sergei Metlev, security expert Meelis Oidsalu and economic specialist Viljar Arakas.
Wahl said his song selection for the concert was inspired by war, and he used Russian and Soviet songs as a base for some new compositions.
"For example, I made a song called 'Timofei Chalamei' using the melody of [children's cartoon] Crocodile Gena's birthday song. And there is also an introduction based on 'Swan Lake' called 'Put the swans on the screen' ('Pange luiged ekraanile')," he explained.
Wahl also translated his hit song "Mu vend on lesbi" ("My Brother Is a Lesbian") into Russian for the concert.
Saan is well known for his experimental documentary "Mullist välja" ("Out of the Bubble"), in which the filmmaker took Russian-speaking residents of Estonia to Ukraine so they could see what Russia has done there.
The concert and discussion were also filmed on Saturday and will be part of a new documentary, which will be released later this year.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Neit-Eerik Nestor


























