The pull-effect of Enno’s music has always fascinated me, just as Enno as a musician has during the many instances of his conducting Ensemble Musikfabrik. It was a logical decision to request a solo work from him, which to my delight was accepted.

On the road to the world premiere there was however a greater hurdle to overcome: we’d discussed and tested the feasibility of a triple unison on three strings but the result wasn’t as virtuous as hoped for and the climax of the work sounded tiresome and powerless. Enno decided to make some changes nine days before the first performance in Strasbourg and delivered one and a half new pages a few days later, which brought the piece to a climax most grand and powerful.

Hannah Weirich performs Enno Poppe’s Haare, comissioned by Ensemble Musikfabrik, supported by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry for Families, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport, on November 28 at the Festival d’automne à Paris.