a Towman's Prayer

'a Towman's Prayer' is a vocal octet based on the painting ‘Barge Haulers on the Volga’ by Ilya Repin. The painting: Ilya Repin was deeply moved when he saw a group of ship tuggers during a trip in the summer of 1868. He wanted to study and record the lives of these people. For two summers, Repin travelled with various groups of tuggers. They turned out to be special people. In the foreground you see a group of ship tuggers at work on a warm summer day. Behind the group you see the Volga River, Europe's longest river.  The music: The music was first created for piano in 2021 and was reworked In 2025 for choir octet. It’s endeavour is to capture the essence of Repin’s painting and create a timeless meditation on human endurance in the face of overwhelming suffering.