My zelioni papugai

I am fascinated by a Russian children's song. It is amazingly pretty. The last time I heard someone qualify a song as ‘pretty’ was about 15 years ago. A friend of mine played Colours of the Wind from Pocahontas on a piano and we had a common friend – a girl – exclaim ‘o that is so pretty’. I will admit the impact the tune made justified the use of the adjective.
The Russian song is from the movie version of Little Red Riding Hood. The image it creates is that of a little girl singing as she proceeds through the forest with the words echoing off the trees and the hills surrounding the woods. More than the words, as I do not understand Russian, it is the image that is captivating and at times nostalgic.
A wonderful chorus where the little girl and the choir go aaaaaaaaahh and then follow up with a rhythmic tune is delightful.
The combination of violins and the piano, gradually slipped into the piece create a longing for days gone by. The song was composed in 1961 and maybe reflects the kind of life lived in Russia at that time. It could also be a sample of the kind of music children liked then. I also wonder about the times these children lived in - happy, lively, sweet and innocent. Maybe magical too!
Something about the child’s voice itself is mesmerising. She sings without inhibitions. She is in her own world and the only focus seems to be her song. Her pronunciation of Russian words, which has some lovely sounds, is charming. Her own way of saying words like budu, budu and her pronunciation of words with a v and w sound are endearing.
The song creates a longing for all things childlike and beautiful. Of carefree days, dreaming, laughter, playing, vacations and school lunches. The song although from a different country and a different language left a warm glow in me during the few minutes it lasts. I heard it many times over this morning and each time it felt pleasurable. A friend of mine introduced me to it and I am grateful for her gesture. I guess the best things in life are sometimes free. There is a mention of a green parrot in the song. In Russian it is zelioni papugai. My friend likes green and this blog is dedicated to her – my zelioni papugai.