Liis Viira

Liis Viira (born Jürgens; born April 7, 1983) is an Estonian composer, harpist, and animator. She has also used the pseudonym Liz Wirestring.

Life and career

Liis Viira has written quite diverse music for orchestras and choirs as well as chamber music and electroacoustic improvisations. Despite being one of the best-known harp players in Estonia and a member of Estonian State Symphony Orchestra, she often uses harp along with non-classical instruments. She has admitted her compositions for human voice are difficult for singers as she uses voice like just another instrument. Viira tends to stress the importance of lyrics, and has often composed her own due to lack of poetry intrinsically harmonic with the music.[1]

Viira has also been playing in ensembles Una Corda and Lippajad.[2]

She has composed music for film, like Eleonore de Montesquieu's documentary Paldiski (2005).[3] In 2012, Viira's Liivaterade raamat represented Estonia on International Rostrum of Composers run yearly by International Music Council.[4]

In the end of 2015, Viira and Margo Kõlar gained a lot of media coverage with their Baby Symphony (Reverbeebi) presented on Estonian Music Days. In that project consisting of several small compositions, babies' voices were used along with the instruments and lyrics by Doris Kareva. The premiere was presented by Collegium Musicale chamber choir and accompanied by dancers from Tallinn Ballet School. Later, it was used as a musical installation in Estonian Theatre and Music Museum.[5][6][7][8][9] Her newer composition, Root Bridge (2016), mixing instruments with voice improvisation and led by Robert Jürjendal on touch guitar, was characterized by music critic Maria Mölder as a "unique breathtaking world of sound achieved by the harmony of different instruments", based on a "less is more" approach.[10]

Education

Works
  • Half-Mirrors (1998)
  • Port Area (2001)
  • RedBlueYellow (2002)
  • Labyrinth Harp Play (2002)
  • Coastline (2003)
  • Lullaby (2004)
  • Invisible (2005)
  • Streamline (2006/2007)
  • digitalis purpurea (2007)
  • Honeycomb Music (2008)
  • Butterfly Cathers
  • Snowy Christmas
  • Spider Tectonics
  • Chaconne, or 50 Rounds to the Health of Erkki Sven
  • Liivaterade raamat (Book of Sand Grains, 2012)
  • Baby Symphony (2015, with Margo Kõlar)
  • Kaheksa (Eight, 2016)

References
  1. Liis Jürgens, Teater. Muusika. Kino, No. 2, 2009
  2. http://www.unacorda.net/index.php?/dsa/
  3. Liis Viira, Film Music Estonia
  4. NYYD-MUUSIKA. Liis Viira "Liivaterade raamat" Estonian National Broadcasting, 2012
  5. Eesti Muusika Päevad. Liis Viira projektist Reverbeebi: taaskasutame beebide häälitsusi Postimees, 25. märts 2016
  6. Muusika-aasta teose "Beebisümfoonia" esiettekanne kõlab Klassikaraadio vahendusel Archived 2016-04-13 at the Wayback Machine Muusika-aasta 2015, December 28, 2015
  7. Helilooja Liis Viira kutsub beebihäältega eksperimenteerima Külauudised, 3. märts 2016
  8. "MI" vestlusring: Timo Steiner, Margo Kõlar ja Liis Viira räägivad beebide sümfoonia sünnist ERR, April 9, 2015
  9. Muusika-aasta lõpetab "Beebisümfoonia" ettekanne ERR, 29.12.2015
  10. Maria Mölder Juurtest sild ja teised, Sirp, February 5, 2016

Literature
  • Liis Jürgens Võlurite ring. Ansambel U: kontserdist Muusika 2/2005, p. 18 (A review by Liis Viira)
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