Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ

Featuring

Helen Kearns
Jana Vonášková
Marie Fuxová
Josef Klusoň
Jonáš Krejčí
Pražák Quartet

Joseph Haydn

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Instruments

The Pražák Quartet performs on historical instruments, including a Joseph Gagliano violin from 1780 and a Paolo Testore cello from 1761.

Composition History

The original orchestral version of Haydn's work was first performed at the residence of Prince Auersperg in Josefstadt (Vienna) on March 26, 1787, before its intended premiere in Cádiz.

Interpretation

This recording features a modern arrangement by Spanish composer José Peris Lacasa, which combines Haydn's string quartet version with a soprano voice.

Composition History

Joseph Haydn's "The Seven Last Words of Christ" was commissioned in 1771 by Don José Sáenz de Santamaría, Marquès de Valde-Íñigo, for a Good Friday service in Cádiz.

Compositional Technique

Haydn consciously varied the tonal design of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" to avoid uniformity across its eight slow movements, using a wide range of keys for its time.

Historical Context

The work was conceived for a unique three-hour Good Friday ritual in an underground chapel, where an almost total darkness prevailed and music filled intervals between sermons.

Composition History

Haydn himself arranged the original orchestral version of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" for string quartet, and later created an oratorio version after hearing an adaptation by Joseph Friebert.