Every year I do a Christmas / Yule / Winter Special, this is the fourth year in a row and here is my version and video of the traditional Christmas/Yuletide Carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” (Public Domain) performed by myself and featuring my “deer” friend Hirvi and filmed mostly in Navarre, Spain where I’m fortunate to live. With this I want to wish all my friends, followers and supporters our best wishes from Yidneth Studio (me and @hedac).
It was released last Friday Night (the longest night of the year) though I’m sharing it now as yesterday I made a special performance/concert to celebrate the solstice.
My new music video greeting card for 2018 Holidays
Midwinter (Yule) was very special this year, not only the longest night but also Full Moon and Meteor shower… In fact in the town where I live one meteor hit the ground and there was a huge flash in the air and a rumble of explosion. Scientists are trying to locate now the remains of it.
As I have said in other articles of night, we welcome Winter and we might think of it as a cold and dark season, but sometimes things are not what they seem to be because Winter is in fact the season that brings back the light… Now on everyday will be slightly longer… Yule is the “rebirth” of light. And branches might look bare now, but wait until that light ignites life again. I always learn from Nature cycles… so much to learn…
Things are not what they seem sometimes…. the stark bleak Winter is in fact the season that brings back the light making each day longer.
All instruments and voices in this version by Priscilla Hernandez (yidneth.com)
Frosty Wind made moan
In the Bleak Midwinter Christmas Carol
In the Bleak Midwinter is one of my favourite Christmas Carols. It’s based on a poem written in 1870 by English writer Christina Rosetti (who I already love because of “The Goblin Market”) and was added Gustav Holst music (English Composer best known for his Planets Suite) in 1906, and later on as Anthem by Harold Darke (1911). As published before 1923 both music and lyrics are now public domain, still I made the entire arrangements on this one to make it a bit my own.
I only covered the first verse which is the one that only speaks of Nature and the Winter Solstice, but words belongs to a longer poem. Still this is my favourite verse and part with no other religious reference but painting a wintry landscape portrait. I mentioned in previous entries that for me Yule (Winter Solstice) is not only important because the Wheel of the Year comes to an end and brings a new chance to refresh our resolutions but also because it’s the longest Night in the Year and the moment Winter starts. We think of Winter as a “dark” and “cold” season, but truly from “Midwinter” on, every day becomes longer. It looks like a contradiction but “The Dark season” marks also “the return of Light”
The Wheel of the Year comes to an end… What are your resolutions for next year?
First of all Happy Holidays, Merry Yule (Solstice) and Merry Xmas or whatever you celebrate, the Wheel of the Year comes to an end and it’s always the best time to ignite new dreams and work for new resolutions… I’m trying to visualize the changes, to shape my ideas so I can fight for them… In retrospective maybe I have failed to move forward t the speed I intended, but here I have a new chance to renew my hopes. So wishing you all the best…
What are your new Year resolutions?
Lyrics
Excerpt of Christina Rosetti Poem (1870)
In the Bleak Midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow had fallen, snow on snow
Snow on snow
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago
Featuring the guest appearance of “Hirvi” Location: Guest deer stars: Hirvi and Vasa Hirvi is the stag that appears in all the close ups. He is a red deer I have befriended and already appeared in my videoclip “Grow”. I often feed him so we have gained his trust. He lives in a protected reserve with his doe and two young fawn. The rest of the video filmed in Urbasa and Quinto Real (Navarra, Spain) by @hedac and @yidneth There is a one second footage of a herd that is CC0 PD. The original “In the Bleak Midwinter” was released over 100 years ago and belongs now to “Public Domain”
Featuring Hirvi the stag
Hirvi and family playing in the snow
Hirvi is a stag that has been featured previously in my video Grow. He is indeed a magnificent forest King and we gained his trust feeding him and his family for over a year now. So all the stag close ups in the video belong to my deer friend “Hirvi”. There are some shots of his partner and fawn too.
Above: Vasa a fawn who is Hirvi’s doe daughter
I used a one second additional royalty free CC0 clip for the herd but other than that the rest is Hirvi and family.
Locations: Navarre (Spain)
Enchanted forest of Urbasa, famous for its strange massive stones scattered among the slender beech trees
The video was filmed mostly in The Enchanted forest of Urbasa (Navarre,
Spain) and El Quinto Real (Navarre, Spain). Both are beechwoods and I
was fortunate to find evergreen holy as a contrast against the bare
naked branches. Footage was filmed both Winter 2017 and 2018. Recording
was done during December 2018.
Holy represents the life of Evergreen enduring the harsh winter… reminds us that green and light will survive to see Spring
Thanks to my supporters at PATREON
Thanks very much to all my patrons at:
http://patreon.com/yidneth
Special thanks to Adrian Nunn, Alfredo Armas, Rhiannon Hutchinson, Krishna Rose and Vincent Nijman. And also to the rest of my patrons.
Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com