First given in Bilbao in 1910, José María Usandizaga’s pastoral folk-opera Mendi Mendiyan (High in the Mountains) together with J. Guridi’s Amaya (8.225084-85), is one of the most important works to reflect Basque culture and folklore. It tells of the tragic events that unfold in a small rural community in the Aizkorri mountain range at the turn of the twentieth century. Echoing the nationalist trends that had emerged in various European countries in the nineteenth century, Mendi Mendiyan attempts to create an authentically Basque operatic style, taking its inspiration from folk songs and dances.