Haydn's Seven Last Words – 'seven sonatas with an introduction and a concluding earthquake' – were commissioned by Cadiz Cathedral for performance on Good Friday 1786. Haydn regarded these orchestral meditations upon Christ's Crucifixion as among his most successful works; he quickly arranged the music for piano and string quartet, and later adapted it as a cantata just before starting work on The Creation (Prom 2).
Two centuries later, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words was commissioned by BBC Television and shown in nightly instalments during Holy Week 1994. Revived to mark the composer's 50th birthday, this powerfully dramatic cantata is underscored by echoes of plainsong, Bach chorales and traditional Scottish laments.
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July | ||||||
| 17 | 18 | |||||
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
| August | ||||||
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 | |||||
| September | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.