Hagen was praised by conductor William Smith as 'a fountain' of creativity. Smith noted that as a student he had heard the music of Samuel Barber played at a student concert, and he acknowledged that new student works have not come along since. Hagen's Prayer for Peace for string orchestra, while it could only represent the large quantity of work Hagen has in his catalogue, was a welcome glimpse into his work's quality. The writing is concise, mature in the way the composer assembled colors and accents and, best of all, often led my ear to believe the next part of the score was inevitable. The piece has, in its three movements, a theatrical flow from the jagged opening, through several short scenes for solo violin and cello, to a gradual lengthening of melodic lines to the strongly flowing final prayer.

The progress from emotional pitch to pitch is direct and unhurried. The solo instruments take roles that are songful -- the best being the violin and cello duet in the second movement. In that section, the two sang independently but in close dialogue over the others. The resolution of the prayer itself, with the cello playing against a shimmer of high violins, is a deft stroke that gives it all a satisfying close.