To make the evening a bit longer, the BLO grafted on a prelude with a related biblical subject: an English translation of "Hagar's Lament, " an early song by Franz Schubert, which depicts Sarah's handmaid Hagar, who has been driven into the desert by Sarah, mourning the imminent death of her son, Ishmael, from thirst.
WSJ: A Potent Biblical Bargain, Undermined | Clemency | Boston Lyric Opera | By Heidi Waleson