The Gliding of the Eagle in the Skies

I must confess that before receiving the commission for a short orchestral piece from the Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa for their 30th anniversary, I didn’t know much about Basque music except for that there’s an amazing instrument: the tamburo basco. Fortunately I found and listened to many traditional songs from Ximun Haran’s collection on Google; extraordinary pieces that sing without words or lyrics.

There’s one song in particular that stayed in my memory. When I was listening to this song a picture in my mind appeared: an eagle gliding high in the skies, floating up high without moving, with it’s wings wide open; the glance of the eagle; the rustling of it’s wings in the wind; the endless space; the feeling of complete freedom. Peter Eötvös