The Seven Last Words of Christ
Fabio Biondi conductor
The Santa Cueva Church in Cádiz, Spain, became famous in the 18th century for its Good Friday musical performances. In 1786, the church commissioned Haydn to compose an orchestral work based on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross. Haydn considered composing a seven-part Adagio an almost impossible task but succeeded so well that the work was later arranged for harpsichord and as an oratorio. The earthquake that concludes the work was inspired by the 1755 Lisbon disaster, in which over 100 thousand people died and which led Enlightenment thinkers to question divine providence. Violinist and conductor Fabio Biondi, a pioneer of early music, conducts the work, which was recorded by Sinfonietta in 2003.
