Liisa Hirsch - EARTH VEINS

Estonian bagpipes: Katariin Raska, Ulvi Võsa, Karolin Vetevoog, Kaisa Kuslapuu, Mari Meentalo, Kerli Kislõi
Premiere recorded by Estonian Classic Radio, 01.05.2023
The Estonian bagpipe, which differs in range and drones from its Scottish relative, has not yet had much contemporary music written for it. “Earth Veins" is one of the first attempts to place these instruments in the context of contemporary classical music. Fortunately, the younger generation includes innovative bagpipe players interested in using their delicate and sometimes temperamental instruments in improvisational and new music contexts.
I have used the motif of earth veins in a more abstract sense, whether as lines of strength or forgotten contact with the ground, this most crucial support point for the human body. The harmonies of the piece are hidden in the ascending glissandos and oscillations. In such a context, the melted timbres of the instrument sometimes acquire an electric, sometimes a human-like plaintive sound, and through such playing techniques, the overtones appear slightly different each time, giving musicians space to listen and respond to what they hear. During the writing of the piece in February 2023, earthquakes struck southern Turkey and Syria, revealing the most destructive power of the earth, the effects of which also influenced this work.