Haydn: The Seven Last Words

Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ (original orchestral version)

Exactly 240 years ago this year (1786) Haydn was commissioned to write a set of instrumental reflections for a 1787 Good Friday service in Cádiz, Spain. The result was Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), a work of rare focus and depth. Each movement reflects on a single phrase unfolding in music that is at once restrained, expressive and deeply human.

After publication in 1787, the composer adapted it for string quartet (as well as a later oratorio version) and for reasons that are not entirely clear the second string quartet version has become the default version of this work. As such, this concert is a genuinely rare opportunity to hear the original version – indeed, the original vision – of the composer, who took his Roman Catholic faith very seriously.
At the same time, this music has captured the imagination of many listeners of many faiths and none. It moves at an unhurried pace creating a space for listening, contemplation and shared attention. Haydn sustains an extraordinary sense of intensity across seven extended meditations.

This is an invitation to pause, to listen and to encounter a remarkable work in its original form – as well as to welcome one of the newest orchestras in London, the Aletheian Sinfonia – who plan to make a name for themselves as an orchestra of rediscovery and discovery alike.
Aletheian Sinfonia
Music Director: Alexander Douglas

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