Celestial Beings

by Cecilia Damström

for violin and viola

Description

Celestial Beings was commissioned by the first Musequal Festival organised in 2016 for the two founders: Linda Suolahti and Mari Viluksela, a duo for violin and viola. The name of the piece is “Celestial Beings” and the movements are named after the greek goddesses, by which they were inspired: I.Aphrodite II.Persephone III.Athena.

The idea behind the commission was that the piece would in some way address femininity and particularly ‘divine femininity.’ After giving it some thought, I decided to approach this request based on ancient Greek myths, as these stories have fascinated me with their abundant and colorful events since childhood. The piece thus took shape as a series of three portraits, each dedicated to a goddess.

The goddess of love, Aphrodite, was born from the waves of the sea, and her playful nature and beautiful presence are enchanting. However, she is also temperamental and can be a quick-tempered wielder of power.

Persephone, the daughter of the god of grain and fruits, Demeter, is abducted from the world of the living to become the wife of Hades in the Underworld. She spends four months of the year in the Underworld, during which time her mother prohibits the plants from growing. When Persephone returns home after four months, the plants can grow again – spring has arrived.

The king of the gods, Zeus, suffers from a headache and decides to strike an axe into his head to relieve the pain. From this self-help act, Athena is born, the goddess of war, knowledge, and wisdom, already dressed in battle gear at her birth. In war, everything is allowed, and the cunning symbols of the snake and spider are often associated with the majestic and wise Athena.

Instrumentation

vln, vla

Category

Chamber Works

Opus no.

op. 47

Premiere

Linda Suolahti & Mari Viluksela, Kokonainenfestivaali, August 2016, Hämeenlinna, Finland

Movements

I Aphrodite, II Persephone, III Athena

Commisioned by / dedications

Composed for Musequal Festival (Kokonainen-festivaali) 2016

Archive number

MF33034

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