The Song of the River

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The Song of the River is a chapbook featuring the poetry of musician Teddy Abrams. The poem, which is also the lyrics for a song cycle by Abrams, was produced on the occasion of the world premiere of The Song of the River. The chapbook pairs Abrams’ poem with evocative color photographs of underwater life by renowned artist Michele Oka Doner. This 35-minute orchestral song cycle premiered on May 10 and May 11, 2019 with the Louisville Orchestra. The song cycle was inspired in large part by environmental concerns spurred by Abrams envisioning the effects of climate change on the Ohio River. “I imagined a final, futuristic day when our beautiful Ohio River has risen to such an extent that the totality of human creating and expression is reflected in its waters, and just before that last day ends, the river itself offers a song that honors the legacy of humanity,” Abrams explains. His words are complemented by Oka Doner’s images, drawn from her project Into the Mysterium, in which she photographed specimen jars from the collection of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and then painted and stained each image. The two have collaborated previously, and when Abrams began thinking of publishing the work in chapbook form, he contacted Oka Doner, who says that “after reading the song I knew I had wonderful, and even wet material to offer him for his cantos.”

PUMPKIN SOUP

2 1/4 pounds pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and fibers
removed
2 onions, grated
6 tbsp. Olive oil
2 tbsp. Cumin seeds
2 pinches of ground cayenne
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 ½-in. Fresh ginger, peeled
and finely chopped
2 cups coconut cream
salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Topping
4 to 6 tbsp. Crème fraiche or olive oil
4 to 6 tbsp. Pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 tbsp. Cumin seeds, toasted

Cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Sauté the onions in a large pan with the olive oil, cumin seeds, cayenne, garlic, and ginger. Add the pumpkin and sauté for 5 minutes without browning. Pour in the coconut cream and cook for about 30 minutes until everything is tender. If there is not enough liquid in the pan, a splash of water may be added. Blend the soup in a blender until it’s smooth or use an immersion blender in the pan. Strain the soup. If necessary, push the last remaining soup through the sieve with the rounded side of a spoon. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup with a tablespoon of crème fraîche and toasted pumpkin seeds added to each bowl and a sprinkle of cumin seeds. Serve with breadsticks.