Where the Insects Cry, Santa Ratniece

iSing Commission, World Premiere at ACDA National Convention 2023
Latvian composer Santa Ratniece’s work Where the Insects Cry was inspired by two of Japan’s most famous writers. Ryōkan was a Japanese, Buddhist monk who spent the majority of his life living in simplicity and solitude at the base of Mount Kugami. Despite his reclusivity, he became well-known during his lifetime for his Zen poems and calligraphy. Murasaki Shikibu is the author of The Tales of Genji, said to be the world’s first novel. Both authors describe the subtleties of nature and the passing of time. Santa uses extended vocal and cello techniques to create a fascinating, immersive soundscape.
Text:
At my house
these hundred plants
I planted and raised -
only to give them up
to the will of the wind.
A visit from one above the clouds
has brought yet more
tears of dew
to these reeds
where the insects cry.
In twilight
crossing over
Mount Kugami
at the crest I heard
the cry of a deer.