'Terrestre' was commissioned by Eleanor Eisenmenger in honour of Kaija Saariaho's 50th birthday. It is based on the second movement of the composer's Flute concert 'Aile du Songe', of which the she says:

'The first section of Terrestre, 'Oiseau dansant', introduces a deep contrast with the other material of the concerto. It refers to an Aboriginal tale in which a virtuosic dancing bird teaches a whole village how to dance. The second section is a synthesis of all the previous aspects, ...