from program notes:

“Ascending…Descending” (“Tõus…Laskumine”) for violin and chamber orchestra (2015)

The first movement of the composition, “Ascending”, comprises three very slowly 
ascending clusters of glissandi that form harmonies on the micro-tonal landscape. The 
solo violin acts like a gatekeeper, creating space for concentration and always 
holding the lowest sound, or fundamental, from which all the other lines originate.
The second movement – “…Descending” – is comprised of orchestral glissandi that 
descend in mathematical proportions and accelerate with every cycle. A cycle comes 
to a conclusion when all the lines, in relation to each other, end up in parallel octaves.
As the motion accelerates, the direction of movement – instead of harmony or timbre 
– comes to the fore. The violin takes over or anticipates the sounds produced by the 
orchestral descents and brings forth the harmony that became rather misty behind 
the glissandi. What’s more, the violin with its accents provides cues for the orchestra 
to move from one chord to the next.
In the descent of the last movement, the role of the conductor disappears – only the 
soloist and the orchestra remain. The entire orchestral part creates itself via reacting 
to the impulses coming from the soloist.
In the solo part, there is no trace of virtuosity. According to the composer, she was 
more interested in the power of concentration and the sound of stringed instruments 
as such, which is a complex phenomenon in itself.

Ascending...Descending (2015)

Performed by Triin Ruubel and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conductor Atvars Lakstigala. Live recording from Estonian Music Days 2015

Ascending...Descending (2015)

Liisa Hirsch