Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
PURCHASE SCORE: laurenbiggsmusic.com/music-catalog/the-sail
APU Bel Canto Women's Choir
Director, Brandon DiNoto
February 27, 2026
Munson Chapel, Azusa Pacific University
Program Note:
Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “Парус” (“The Sail”) depicts a solitary sailboat drifting along the sea. The poetry reflects upon two perspectives: the one who seeks the storm, chasing unknown waters, and the one who stays behind, with no choice but to watch. It is a meditation on freedom, displacement, and the bittersweet reality of choosing to leave when others were never given the choice.
Due to his outspoken nature and criticism of Russian society, Lermontov was exiled twice to the Caucasus during his short life—experiences that deepened his sense of isolation and shaped his poetic voice. He wrote “The Sail” at the age of seventeen, yet it captures an emotional depth that resonates with themes he would continue to explore until his untimely death in a duel at twenty-six.
In this choral and orchestral setting, I aim to evoke the mystical and mysterious atmosphere of the text, drawing inspiration from nautical themes in Russian music—particularly Aleksandr Lokshin’s haunting score for The Little Mermaid (1968). Utilizing mysterious modal shifts, aleatoric writing in the piano and the voices, and an indulgent amount of percussion, I present to you my setting of “The Sail.”
♬♩♪♩
BUY MY MUSIC: laurenbiggsmusic.com
MY LINKS: solo.to/laureliamadeus
BUY ME A COFFEE:
ko-fi.com/laureliamadeus
♬♩♪♩
PURCHASE SCORE: laurenbiggsmusic.com/music-catalog/the-sail
APU Bel Canto Women's Choir
Director, Brandon DiNoto
February 27, 2026
Munson Chapel, Azusa Pacific University
Program Note:
Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “Парус” (“The Sail”) depicts a solitary sailboat drifting along the sea. The poetry reflects upon two perspectives: the one who seeks the storm, chasing unknown waters, and the one who stays behind, with no choice but to watch. It is a meditation on freedom, displacement, and the bittersweet reality of choosing to leave when others were never given the choice.
Due to his outspoken nature and criticism of Russian society, Lermontov was exiled twice to the Caucasus during his short life—experiences that deepened his sense of isolation and shaped his poetic voice. He wrote “The Sail” at the age of seventeen, yet it captures an emotional depth that resonates with themes he would continue to explore until his untimely death in a duel at twenty-six.
In this choral and orchestral setting, I aim to evoke the mystical and mysterious atmosphere of the text, drawing inspiration from nautical themes in Russian music—particularly Aleksandr Lokshin’s haunting score for The Little Mermaid (1968). Utilizing mysterious modal shifts, aleatoric writing in the piano and the voices, and an indulgent amount of percussion, I present to you my setting of “The Sail.”
♬♩♪♩
BUY MY MUSIC: laurenbiggsmusic.com
MY LINKS: solo.to/laureliamadeus
BUY ME A COFFEE:
ko-fi.com/laureliamadeus
♬♩♪♩
