Haydn’s Seven Last Words is possibly his most profound work and one he was justifiably proud of. It resulted from a commission in Cádiz for a Good Friday work as part of the liturgical reading of the seven last sentences of Christ in a dramatically darkened cathedral. He said “it was no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed one another without fatiguing the listeners; indeed, I found it quite impossible to confine myself to the appointed limits…” The resulting work is utterly compelling and deeply moving.
