BLUULE: Mihkel Raud, Brad Jurjens, Georg Merilo

For the twelfth year in a row, the word “bluule”—a symbiosis of blues and poetry that emerges in Haapsalu for just one hour a year—sparks wonder among new Augustibluus visitors and a murmuring sense of satisfaction among longtime fans. Over the years, dozens of Estonia’s top actors and musicians have gathered on this stage to create something that is uniquely part of Augustibluus’s DNA.

This year, as part of BLUULE’s unique program, Mihkel Raud and Georg Merilo will perform their favorite poems at the Haapsalu Dance Pavilion on Saturday, August 1, at 12:00 PM, accompanied by Brad Jurjens on guitar.

Mihkel Raud, musician and journalist:
“Having spent my childhood in one of the epicenters of Estonian poetry—Harju 1, or the Writers’ House—it’s no wonder that the chance to keep alive, even for just one day, the subculture of poetry concerts initiated by Viiding and Rätsep was an opportunity I seized immediately.”

Brad Jurjens, instrumentalist:
“Even if you think you know and understand the Augustibluus festival, it always surprises you from an unexpected angle. Of course, I’m participating in something I’ve never done before!”

Georg Merilo, initiator and writer of the special program “Bluule” for the poetry concert series “Romantic Poetry Program” (2008):
“Every year, we’ve managed to bring the dream lineup of the moment to the Augustibluus stage. In Mihkli’s case, every culture lover probably wonders: what does this sharp-tongued, sensitive soul read? The key, however, is as always—even I don’t know until the poetry concert begins. Everything happens before the esteemed audience just once in a lifetime, spontaneously and without prior arrangement. And Brad should send shivers down your spine when he begins his crescendo in the open air.”

Bluule has been part of the Augustibluus festival program since 2014 and has become one of the festival’s traditions, likely unique in the world in this form. Over the years, both classical and contemporary Estonian and translated poetry have been recited on the Bluule stage, but one unwritten rule of the format has remained the same: no one except the performers knows in advance which texts will be recited.

Bluule – an hour a year when blues and poetry meet in Haapsalu.