Ishtar finds its path by setting up quiet, resonant episodes against sharp outbursts of dramatic force; slow descents of major thirds (presented twice, at the beginning and in a long episode in the middle of the work) are cut by strong chords, that soon become violent tremolos and "ribattuto"; they leave the stage to other meditative sections, where the quiet contemplation of changing harmonies gives us the secret meaning of Ishtar : an evocation, with the shadow of the ancient goddess through the pages.