Dolos Sielut (Ancient Souls)

The Sámi people of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia have been reindeer herders for centuries. Recently, I was very fortunate to spend time with the Sámi in the Sápmi region of Finland, far north of the Arctic Circle. There were many incredible moments during my time there—retrieving a lost reindeer from Sweden comes to mind—but one particular memory stayed with me and haunted me. We were lucky to see the Aurora Borealis several times. The second time, it was minus 40 degrees, and we walked out onto a frozen lake at midnight to watch. It was so dark and so cold –so silent – but the sky was constantly moving; the colors were extraordinary. Every now and then, there was the booming of the ice cracking underneath us, and if we tried, we could just make out the bells of the reindeer from over the hills.
I have never felt so awed, so overwhelmed by our planet. In the winds I could almost hear the whispers of ancient ghosts, timeless souls. I found out later that traditionally the Sámi believe the lights of the Aurora to be the souls of the dead reaching out to them. The poignancy of simultaneously witnessing both great beauty and great loss is at the heart of Dološ Sielut, which translated from the Sámi language means “Ancient Souls”.

Premiered by Jacomo Bairos and the Amarillo Symphony in March 2017, subsequent performance by the Pensacola Symphony