Uphill

About

Uphill was written as a piece to conclude a concert of music from around the world. The text, suggested by the conductor, was intended to represent feelings of '... we are home from our OE, and the home light is shining, and we are at peace - secure in the arms of family'.

The text is by Christina Rossetti who was born into an artistic family. One of her brothers was Dante Gabriel Rossetti - the painter and a poet, while the other was William Michael Rossetti - a leading art critic and editor. It was William who edited her complete works in 1904 (10 years after her death). At one stage she was engaged to painter James Collinson - a member of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood - but the engagement was broken off in 1850. Her poetry, which is often compared to that of Emily Bronte, is characterized by an overwhelming sense of melancholy. Rossetti contracted cancer in 1891, but an operation prolonged her life until December 1894.