Here's an excellent recent rendering of La Espero on Youtube by soprano A. Asano.

Happy listening.

I like the sound of Memoro de la Ŝtono from the same video author. It would fit the SrE-o kurolisto perfectly because it has the same music style like the official Sintel songs. I still was searching for some better beginning of that "short film".

Sorry, but the traditional La Espero version is not my kind of thing. But there excist another interesting presentation of La Espero. Also I will create one e-o chanson karaokeo by Neide Barros Rêgo to broading the eobo arkivejo. Thanks to remember me with that.

Okay. Just to explain my personal antipathy against this La Espero song. Imagine. Someone let me say 14 years old well-cared (no war or some other trouble for childrens) goes to school with very restrictive teachers who supress most of individualism (including king-individualism and sanies-vampirism).

3rd hour: teaching lesson: Music lessons. Today 3 people have to sing one strophe everybody a song* by Ernst Busch what is a song which glorified resistance against Franco regime at the Spanish Civil War/ International Brigades or some other propaganda songs#.

Do somebody post that time - now I'm free at my own - really expect to sing a song like La Espero kio has the same International Brigades song style like the songs mentioned now?

* i.e. Spaniens Himmel (with English subtitle. Press CC button or button below) | Die Internationale etc.
# i.e. Der kleine Trompeter | Kleine weiße Friedenstaube (Small white freedom pigeon)

That and other things happened at the DDR. I will never - I repeat - never sing a song in public with that International Brigades style again. My whole life. For sure.

Apart that I still like that # Pionierlieder. They were target at childrens and not such hard communism-political colored like that International Brigades stuff.

In my opinion Finvenkismo in the style of the International Brigades is vere outdated at today times. Maybe Rap music (not to confuse with gentle/softflushed Hip Hop lyrics. Rap excample Azad: Unerreicht; I don't like the lyrics) has the music role today which has that International Brigades music had at these times. My world is this one and that one but definitly not this one or that one. What about you?

ĝp,

I've got to ask, what the hell are "kingsindividualism and saniesvampirism"?

On a more relevant note, I don't know why, but I've always liked nationalist music, even though I don't like nationalism.

qwertz:I will never .. sing a song in public with that International Brigades style again.

La Espero was written and sung at World Congresses long before there was any Soviet empire. Thus it is not a Soviet song. In fact the Esperanto movement was persecuted in the USSR, e.g. the poet Eugene Michalsky was killed in Stalin's purges. Only after the 'thaw' in 1956 did the movement there receive a little freedom to operate, though still subject to state control and interference. You can read more in chapters 4 and 5 of Boris Kolker's Vojaĝo en Esperanto-lando.

Pharoah:I've got to ask, what the hell are "kingsindividualism and saniesvampirism"?

On a more relevant note, I don't know why, but I've always liked nationalist music, even though I don't like nationalism.

Please take a look at this: kingsindividualism and saniesvampirism

Miland:

qwertz:I will never .. sing a song in public with that International Brigades style again.

La Espero was written and sung at World Congresses long before there was any Soviet empire. Thus it is not a Soviet song. In fact the Esperanto movement was persecuted in the USSR, e.g. the poet Eugene Michalsky was killed in Stalin's purges. Only after the 'thaw' in 1956 did the movement there receive a little freedom to operate, though still subject to state control and interference. You can read more in chapters 4 and 5 of Boris Kolker's Vojaĝo en Esperanto-lando.

I didn't say that La Espero is a Soviet song. I said that the La Espero music style remembers to International Brigades music style of 1936/1939 and we now write 2010 where Esperanto has to compete with a lot of other hobbies. It could be not very popular accross today's youth. And no doubt, there excist an offspring deficit compared to other culture communities. Esperanto has to be cool and International Brigades music style is something not very cool(?). I could be wrong but I compare it with other hobbies and trends.

At the former communism countries in East-Europe it was used for anti-capitalism propaganda. I also cleary marked my statement as my personal opinion/experiences even if I think most of the DDR fellows may sing this DDR International Brigades music styled songs just for fun and with some alcohol, too. But probably they will just compare Esperanto International Brigades styled music or public singing at congresses somewhat - diplomatic said "strange" or more worst not very attractive.

Okay there also excists Rock version of i.e. Unter Spaniens Himmel (Below the sky of Spain) but ... it's more kind of joke (in the sense on blaming the idea behind) using that kind of International Brigades music style. At least nothing serious like it was intented in 193X. In my opinion.

I have to admit that I just cannot stand the song. It simply oozes "late nineteenth century", and we all know how popular late nineteenth century music is nowadays.

I know it's meant to sound rousing, and I suppose it probably achieved that goal when it was new, but to my ears it now more or less sounds cheesy and lame.

Sorry to those that like it. It's just my opinion.

qwertz:I didn't say that La Espero is a Soviet song. I said that the La Espero music style remembers to International Brigades music style of 1936/1939..

I understand; the International Brigades were an umbrella organisation fighting Franco, although many Communists joined them and recruited to them.

I would say that the value of La Espero is not a matter of musical taste or fashion; it is a tradition that is a carrier of ideals and values, which are conveyed in the song. It doesn't surprise me that with a decline in commitment to the song goes a decline in the number of people attending congresses.

Yes, but that tradition of ideals and values don't get lost. In my opinion, if E-o should get more popular it needs sometimes some different - hhm - "contemporary wrapping". But the International-Brigades wrapping of that song does not attract these days for the ideals and values it seems to stand for.

I wouldn't say that the tune of "La Espero" has a soviet style to it.

But it's true that it's a very 19th century type of tune, and many national anthems sound similar to La Espero. It's not my favorite tune, it seems a bit blah to me, but then again, most national anthems have a similar sort of sound, since the 19th century is the time when many countries selected a national anthem.

I understand that La Espero is meant to represent an ideal rather than being a pretty tune, and I think this is true for most national anthems. If we think objectively about national anthems, I think most people will agree that when the tune is taken alone, separate from its patriotic meaning, most national anthems aren't something that many people would listen to for pleasure. Most national anthems seem practically designed to be plodding and boring. So La Espero fits perfectly into the worldwide family of national anthems!

Incidentally, the Israeli national anthem seems to be an exception to this rule. The tune is a variation on a folk song from the mid 1600's; the tune has been used, in modified versions, across Europe since that time (and most famously used by Smetana in his symphony "Ma vlast"). It's a tune that has stood the test of time!

--------

Incidentally I would never ever suggest updating it to a more "modern" tune. There's nothing more uncool than something trying desperately to be cool by updating its tune. I remember when I was in elementary school, they substituted our school song for a school "rap" in an attempt to make the school song seem cool. The attempt failed; all of the students parodied the new school "rap" mercilessly. The attempt to update something like an anthem to a "modern" tune also runs against modern musical tastes. What kind of modern tune will it be? Whatever you choose, you will alienate people who don't like that style of music. I think you have to keep things moderately classical to appeal to a wide range of people.