Inanna, an ancient Sumerian goddess known as “Queen of Heaven and Earth,” is an intriguing mythological figure associated with the city of Uruk, located in present-day Iraq.  The stories of Inanna have received increased study in recent decades as more sources have been discovered and translated.  Among these, the tale of Inanna’s descent into the Underworld is one of the most renowned. 

As she descends, Inanna gives up her godly protections one by one until she stands naked before her sister, Erishkigal, the Queen of the Underworld.  Without warning, Erishkigal strikes Inanna dead and hangs her from a hook on the wall.  Moved by the pleading of Inanna’s assistant Ninshubur, the god Enki eventually sends two creatures the size of flies into the Underworld to convince Erishkigal to allow Inanna to return to life. 

Inanna’s Descent is a piece of music that draws upon impressions of the Inanna narrative and psychological states of its characters, althouh the music is not literally programmatic.  In performance, the violin’s audio is carried from a microphone to a computer audio processing instrument, built be Douglas Geers using the software Max/MSP. The electronic sounds create a sonic environment, color the violin’s timbre, and dialogue with the violin’s performance.