The Basque Country is a land of strong contrasts: the mountains overlook a brave and dominant sea, densely populated cities rise amid an exuberant nature, ancient traditions coexist with an economic fabric in which industry and technology are vital. It is said that Basque people are of an individualistic and closed nature, however, they have always met with their neighbours to enjoy the pleasures of life: eating – their cuisine is an international referent; singing – choirs are counted by hundreds in their territory; and dancing – with huge festivals like San Fermin. In the history of Basque society sailors stand out, some of them pioneers in exploring the globe. But even if they have traveled so far, culture, which is defended as a gem in this little corner in the Bay of Biscay, has been preserved around one of the oldest languages in Europe, Euskera. For all this, and although it can be crossed by car in just a couple of hours, this is a country of differences, as abrupt as its mountain ranges.
The five works on this project, each around a Basque town, try to reflect the diversity of the geographic, social and cultural landscape. They have been created by some of the most relevant Basque composers working in the area of electroacoustic music, and touch divergent and complementary aspects: the relationship of the city with the sea, in the work of Chamizo (San Sebastián); the specificity of language and speech, that of Gerenabarrena (Bayonne); transforming the sound of the city parallel to the life of its inhabitants, created by García de la Torre (Pamplona); a social and philosophical vision of the urban soundscape proposed Lauzurika (Vitoria); and the international dimension of the work of Luc, in which she twins Bilbao with cities as far away as Melbourne.

Ramon Lazkano