Here’s a fascinating program, crafted by The Song Company’s co-Artistic Director and soprano Amy Moore, exploring themes and music associated with the famous pilgrim route across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Medieval music comes from the 12th-century Codex Calixtinus, which contains some of the earliest examples of polyphony, as well as the 14th-century Llibre Vermell de Montserrat. Later Spanish and Portuguese Renaissance music features Victoria’s sumptuous Versa est in luctum. Contemporary works include Joseph Twist’s setting of the same text, Paul Stanhope’s nature-inspired Explorer’s Journal and Anne Cawrse’s Pilgrim Psalms.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Journeying to Finisterre is an evocative exploration of pilgrimage, not just across landscapes but deep within the self. Curated by Co-Artistic Director and Soprano Amy Moore, this program delves into the 12th Century Codex Calixtinus and 14th Century Libre Vermell de Montserrat—devotional manuscripts that guided pilgrims both physically and spiritually.

We trace the Camino paths to Santiago de Compostela with Spanish and Portuguese Renaissance polyphony, including Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Versa est in Luctum which echoes through time in Joseph Twist’s setting of the same text. Paul Stanhope’s Explorer’s Journal draws us deep into the natural world, and Anne Cawrse’s Pilgrim Psalms offer a contemporary reflection on spiritual journeys, the quest for inner connection and the timeless search for meaning.