Close-Up: Seven Last Words

In a letter to his publisher, Joseph Haydn could hardly have given his Seven Last Words a more fitting introduction: ‘A completely new work – divided into seven sonatas, the whole preceded by an introduction and concluded by a terremoto [earthquake], based on the words Christ our Saviour spoke on the cross.’ With this piece, Joseph Haydn developed a unique format for composing a large-scale meditation on the last words of Jesus Christ (usually translated as ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’). During the weeks preceding Easter, Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Our Saviour is often seen as a fitting, instrumental alternative to Bach’s great choral Passions. Today, a string quartet from the Concertgebouw Orchestra will join forces with actor and writer Florian de Backere.

Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra perform their own programmes in the Recital Hall as part of the Close-up chamber music series. Each of these concerts is unique and performed only once as part of the series. It’s the very best way to experience the individual qualities of the orchestral musicians! These intimate concerts are organised by the Friends of the Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.