Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross

After an appropriate prelude, the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced one of the seven words and began a discourse on it. As soon as he had finished, he descended from the pulpit and knelt before the altar. This pause was filled with music. The bishop entered and left the pulpit for the second, third time and so on, and each time the orchestra reentered after the end of the speech. My composition had to be appropriate for this presentation." With these words, Joseph Haydn described his work "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross," and this recording is designed in the same way: The reflections on the seven last words are by Father Julius Kappel, FSSP (member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter), performed by the renowned actor and narrator Michael König. Haydn's music is interpreted by the ensemble Capella Paulana, consisting of Dominik Hellsberg and Georg Wimmer, violins, Robert Bauerstatter, viola, and Benedikt Hellsberg, violoncello, who have been artistically associated with each other for many years. In the sequence of words and music, the underlying biblical message is impressively conveyed both musically and linguistically.