Alaska, the Great Land, dominates animal and human and infuses with its immensity all art, poetry, music, and relations between people and nature with grandeur hard to imagine for those who have not experienced its breadth. In contrast, however, poets, and composers, and other inhabitants alike notice the smaller things of nature the color of a birch leaf, rosehips, grizzles and their cubs eating berries in the sunshine and ask the question, "If the stars are burning, why are winter nights do cold?"
Violet Balestrieri Archer (1913-2000) was born in Montreal, the daughter of Italian immigrants. She became one of Canada´s, and indeed, one of the world´s greatest contemporary composers. In May 2000, the Italian National Commission for Equal Opportunities chose to place her name on its list as one of the most notable women of the last century.
Suzanne Summerville, mezzo-soprano, first met Violet Archer personally in 1988 when she visited Fairbanks for the premiere performance of If the Stars are Burning. It was the first of Dr. Archer´s several visits to Fairbanks for premier performances of music composed for the Fairbanks Choral Society and Children´s Choir and for music ALASKA women. Dr. Summerville performed works she had commissioned by Violet Archer on the opening recital of the first annual Donne in Musica Festival in Fiuggi, Italy.
Poet Frank Buske was a member of the University of Alaska Department of English.
Fannie Quigley (1870-1944), his protagonist, climbed over the Chilkoot Pass in 1898 and lived the rest of her life in Alaska. Her last years were spent in Kantishna near Mount McKinley (Denali).
This recording of was made on the stage of the UAF Concert Hall.
"I had the opportunity to sing some of Violet Archer´s compositions at the concert dedicating the Music Library of the University of Calgary in her name, and share in the appreciation shown her by colleagues, students, musicians, and parents of many of the children she had taught. The Canadian Broadcasting engineers were present to record the concert. The program closed with Violet´s setting of If the Stars are Burning. This composition always had to be the last thing on any program. Nothing could ever follow the operatic outburst of its final question and subdued spoken ending never any applause, never an encore. But that night something magical happened. There was the expected silence after the excruciating final words:
Why you die in February?
Columbines blossom in the fallen roof,
A raven perches on your empty chimney.
and the piano´s closing with the softest and lowest "A."
But then the silence was broken by a woman´s single, gasping sigh. The CBC recorded that moment. Something never to forget, like a friendship with Violet Archer."
Suzanne Summerville
