After the Pilgrimage

Following on the heels of the pilgrimage theme laid out in our April concerts, we conclude our season with poignant works that use travel as a metaphor for the journey of life. Minnesota composer Abbie Betinis' "Long Time Trav'ling" and "From Behind the Caravan" set up this theme, followed by "Seven Songs of the Rubaiyat" by New York composer Adolphus Hailstork (poetry by Ḥāfeẓ). The touching and powerful "Songs of Farewell" by English composer Hubert Parry (1848-1918), written during the final year of his life and consciously penned as his swan song, bring the season to a fitting close.