UNITED KINGDOM SUMMER PEARLS: London's architectural gems along the banks of the Thames
MUSIC: Europe's best pop and rock gatherings
BAGPIPES: The plaintive sounds of Scotland
SUBMARIUM: Journey to the bottom of the sea FESTIVALS: Fun in the sun in West Belfast
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FRANCE and SWITZERLAND VULCANIA: Blow your top at France's volcano park
ART: Berthe Morisot, the unknown Impressionist
FESTIVALS: Aix-en-Provence has it all
ART: The Barbizon School painters come to life
ART: Take a stroll through medieval gardens of delight
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SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ITALY and GREECE SALAMANCA: The city splashes out on culture
MUSIC: God's rock stars: the singing Greek monks
FOOD: Italy's unusual culinary delights
FILM: Great outdoor viewing in Rome
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GERMANY and BENELUX HORTICULTURE: The world blossoms at Floriade
BRUGGE: Belgium's second city shines
ART: Berlin's homage to multiculturalism ART: The best of the world's artists on show at Documenta 11 DANCE: Czech twin ballerinos steal the show in Hamburg MORE ..
CENTRAL and EASTERN EUROPE ART: Yugoslavia's modern art museum is back
ART: A retrospective of Samizdat art and writing from the Communist bloc
GRAZ: Austria's little-known city of culture
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THE NORDIC REGION DESIGN: Denmark celebrates Arne Jacobsen
MUSEUM: Get a blast from the past at Stalin World
STOCKHOLM: Welcome to the Venice of the North
MUSIC: Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes on tour MORE ..
PLUS LISTINGS: Other things to see and do in each region
Ancient and eerie sounds to lure both clans and fans
Neutrality is usually not an option where bagpipes are concerned. There are those who say the pipes are the most horrible instrument ever invented, that they are the missing link between music and noise, that pipers walk when they play in an attempt to get away from the sound. And there are those who believe that, in the right hands, the pipes are the instrument of the gods, and who are brought to tears by their plaintive drone.
Bagpipes are as old as the hills — and not just the peaks of the Scottish Highlands, with which they are now most associated. They have existed in Europe since at least the 13th century, and various forms of the instrument were known much earlier in cultures around the world.
Initially a pastoral, festive instrument, the pipes — with drum accompaniment — later acquired a military tinge. Indeed, many a Highlander has clashed with his enemies to the shrill, penetrating sound of bagpipes, which were declared an instrument of war in the aftermath of the Jacobites' 1746 defeat at the Battle of Culloden.
This summer, only pipes of peace will be heard across Europe, at a host of festivals and competitions from Ireland to the Czech Republic.
Catch the Competitions
Scottish Pipe Band Championships, Levengrove Park, Dumbarton • Date: May 18 • Tickets:Free • Phone:+44 (0)1389 737 000 • Website:www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk
European Pipe Band Championships, Ormeau Park, Belfast • Date:June 22 • Tickets:Free • Phone:+44 (0)28 9027 0345 • e-mail: leisureevents@
belfastcity.gov.uk
World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow Green, Glasgow • Date:: Aug. 10 Tickets: €14 to €24 • Phone:+44 (0)141 353 8000 (tickets);+44 (0) 141 287 3666 (details) • Website:www.summerinthecity.org
