Burki's Modern Alphorn
Related Articles
Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Alphorn?
Musician, Eliana Burki, is taking the 12-foot-long folk instrument, the alphorn, usually played by shepherds, out of the snow-capped peaks and into the Swiss funk scene. Petite and pierced, 25-year-old Burki rejects the traditional Swiss alphornist gear, and instead, dons short skirts and torn jeans, while she riffs on her collapsible carbon-fiber alphorn.
Purist alphorn blowers want to preserve the instrument’s pastoral side and are cautious in welcoming Burki’s cutting-edge carbon-fiber version. For participants to be eligible in Swiss Federal Alphorn festivals they still must wear the traditional garb, play classics like “With the Cows” and “On the Sheep’s Meadow,” and keep their performances under four minutes.
Burki prefers to play Miles Davis and Amy Winehouse tunes on her alphorn and shows little interest for playing old-fashioned songs. “It’s beautiful, but it’s not my world,” says Burki.
< Back to latest Music and Health
