The Raw Song

The Raw Song - is extracted from Jenni's 1992 opera The Descent of Inanna. This is the moment in the second act after her trials in the Netherworld, the Sumerian Underworld, of 500 BC. Inanna returns to life' and is reborn, vulnerable, fragile, but alive! This myth was preserved for 2000 years on clay tablets, written in the ancient language of cuneiform. It predates the 'Orpheus and the Underworld' myth by 500 years. Here we have a matriarchal society and a female protagonist. This is one of the main myths used by Carl Jung to examine the feminine shadow archetype. The complete opera is in two acts of 50 minutes each. There are eight singers, and the players heard here in the Raw Song. "There was pace and energy, with echoes ranging from Sondheim and Reich to African and Middle Eastern rhythms and cantillations... many places where the score matched the situation memorably: Inanna's return to life (The Raw Song) or her radiant first entry (Share My Joy) with its cascading string scales. Roditi's vocal writing can be imaginative and sensitive." Stephen Johnson, The Independent, June 1992, following the premiere at ICA, London UK. There is a 'reduced score' version of this song for voice, piano and harmonium keyboard only. Please check Jenni's My Score catalog. More materials from the opera will be forthcoming on My Score in due course. The complete opera full score is only obtainable through the composer's website, forthcoming 2025.