Voyage of the Seafarers - 2020
Art: Nancy Ruhstorfer
Voyage of the Seafarers harkens back to our idealized conception of sailing from Europe to the New World in the colonial era. It brings to mind images of tall ships with extensive masts and rigging that prepared for multi-month journeys across the Atlantic. Each movement of Voyage puts our ship in a different context.
MOVEMENT I: Cast Anchor sees the crew excitedly setting off on their long trip. Excitement is in the air, and every time there seems to be an approaching lull, the music is reinvigorated with exuberance. It begins to trail off towards the end as it becomes abundantly clear that not all of this journey will be easy. A storm is on the horizon.
MOVEMENT II: Brewing Storm picks up where Cast Anchor left off. The winds are picking up, and the skies are darkening. As the percussion ushers in the storm, the crew of our vessel scurries frantically to secure the sails of their ship while waves crash down around them. It is a dark and aggressive movement that leaves the crew defeated.
MOVEMENT III: Adrift and Astray continues the journey leaving our sailors lost and scattered. The morale is in shambles, and they are lost. Many of the early themes that were so exciting in Cast Anchor
have returned with a haunting quality. As the dread of the crew
continues to spiral and the melancholy sets in, those feelings are
abruptly and startlingly interrupted.
MOVEMENT IV: Land Ho When the crew was on the brink despair,
one lone person sees distant shore and calls it down to his crewmates. The lone trumpet is soft and exposed, but brings a sense of hope and relief absent. As the crew hears the triumphant news, the joy from Cast Anchor returns to energize the crew as they prepare for
whatever this new world has in store for them.
MOVEMENT I: Cast Anchor sees the crew excitedly setting off on their long trip. Excitement is in the air, and every time there seems to be an approaching lull, the music is reinvigorated with exuberance. It begins to trail off towards the end as it becomes abundantly clear that not all of this journey will be easy. A storm is on the horizon.
MOVEMENT II: Brewing Storm picks up where Cast Anchor left off. The winds are picking up, and the skies are darkening. As the percussion ushers in the storm, the crew of our vessel scurries frantically to secure the sails of their ship while waves crash down around them. It is a dark and aggressive movement that leaves the crew defeated.
MOVEMENT III: Adrift and Astray continues the journey leaving our sailors lost and scattered. The morale is in shambles, and they are lost. Many of the early themes that were so exciting in Cast Anchor
have returned with a haunting quality. As the dread of the crew
continues to spiral and the melancholy sets in, those feelings are
abruptly and startlingly interrupted.
MOVEMENT IV: Land Ho When the crew was on the brink despair,
one lone person sees distant shore and calls it down to his crewmates. The lone trumpet is soft and exposed, but brings a sense of hope and relief absent. As the crew hears the triumphant news, the joy from Cast Anchor returns to energize the crew as they prepare for
whatever this new world has in store for them.