Primavera en silencio

1. Primer espejo
2. Pájaro
3. Segundo espejo
4. Ballena
5. Tercer espejo
6. Rana
7. Cuarto espejo
8. Humano

SATB and piano

When I first began talking about this collaboration with Dr. Bradley Miller, we focused on the mission of the institution he taught at, the University of Minnesota Morris, a public liberal arts college in rural Minnesota.  One of the central aspects of an education there was environmental stewardship and, in attempting to speak to this, I began researching celebrated American conservationist Rachel Carson’s landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, which examined the adverse health effects of “miracle” insecticides like DDT.  She firmly believed that the balance of nature was a major force in the survival of the human race, and her stunning research was, predictably, met with widespread skepticism and downright slander from chemical companies who were benefiting from the widespread use of the chemicals she revealed to be harmful to humans.

I originally thought it would be interesting to set some actual text from Carson’s book but, in reading it, it became clear that the prose was thick with brilliant scientific research and didn’t seem like it would sing very well. However, the title of her book (itself inspired by a line of poetry by John Keats) seemed like it could serve as a point of departure for a new text. For this, I asked poet (and Rachel Carson fan) Robert Ressler if we might collaborate on something about the animals that are said to “sing,” and how—as in Carson’s title—those songs might be stolen from us if humanity doesn’t quickly take a look in the mirror and start treating the environment with the same care and enthusiasm as we do some of the seemingly less important things in our lives. He agreed and, since the choir was going to take the new piece on a tour of Peru—a tour they were ultimately denied because of the COVID-19 pandemic—we decided to write it in Spanish.

When Silent Spring was originally published, some saw it as an act of heroism.  Others saw it as an irresponsible breach of scientific objectivity that weakened the public’s faith in science and research.  The eye of history has favored the former, and Carson—a quiet person who valued solitude and privacy—has achieved the status of international hero for blowing the whistles that she did.  She passed away from a battle with breast cancer only two years after the book’s publication. 

Primavera en silencio was commissioned by the University of Minnesota Morris Concert Choir (Dr. Bradley Miller, conductor), and received its premiere on March 7, 2020.It is dedicated with gratitude to the memory of Rachel Carson (1907-1964). Rest in power.

The Text

By Robert Ressler (b. 1988)

2. Pájaro
La pájara cuida su nido
el futuro en una cascarita azul
pero ya viene el hacha
de un mundo resquebrajándose
y aún por nacer
caen los pajaritos antes de que se escuche su canción.

2. Bird
The mother bird guards her nest
the future in a little blue shell
but the axe from a breaking world arrives
and yet to be born
the little birds fall before their song can be
heard.

4. Ballena
El canto de una cría de ballena
explora el océano por la primera vez
pero los plásticos la ahogan
que manos sin cuidado echaron al mar
su madre solo puede oír
lamentitos de dolor

4. Whale
The song of a newborn whale
explores the ocean for the first time
but plastics drown her
tossed by careless hands
the only thing her mother can hear
are little cries of pain.

6. Rana
La rana vigila su pequeña laguna
mientras las fábricas de avance temerario
envenenan su hogar ancestral
los químicos ahogan los cantos
en las gargantas de sus crías

6. Frog
The frog watches over her small lagoon
while the factories of reckless advancement
poison her ancestral home
the chemicals choke the songs
in the throats of her children.

8. Humano
Una niña baila en un bosque
sus ojos alumbrados por los rayos del sol
tallos altos de hierba rozan sus brazos desprotegidos
sus pulmones se llenan con nuestro aire compartido
¿Escuchará la niña el canto de los pájaros,
o le daremos una primavera en silencio?

8. Human
A child dances in a forest
eyes alight with the rays of the sun
tall stalks of grass touch her unprotected arms
her lungs fill with our air
Will she hear the songs of the birds
or will we give her a silent spring?

Performed by the University of Minnesota Morris Concert Choir
(Dr. Bradley Miller, conductor).