Lonely Wanderer and In My Homeland

Eric Shelton, flute

Naomi Stamoolis, obo

Linda Anderson, clarinet

Herb Dunham, euphonium

Allison King, bass clarinet

Allison writes: Lyric Pieces is a collection of ten sets of short pieces for piano, composed by Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian composer. Most of them are character pieces, which are short works designed to portray a particular mood, image, or idea. “Lonely Wanderer,” sometimes translated as “Solitary Traveller,” conveys a sense of loneliness. “In My Homeland” reflects the calm of being at home. Grieg did not write artist statements for his Lyric Pieces, but he was a Norwegian who deeply loved his home country and who also travelled to other countries for his studies and career. I imagine he sometimes felt homesick (“Homesickness” is another one of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces).

I chose these two Lyric Pieces for our theme on lament. In biblical lament, we communicate our sorrows to God, asking for His help and reminding ourselves of who He is. As believers, we are sojourners in this broken world, which is not our home. Our sufferings can make us feel deeply alone, but someday we will be with God in the new creation, free from our suffering and sin and everything that comes between us and God and others. This pairing expresses loneliness and looks forward to our home with God.