Track Listing

1. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: Introduzione
2. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 1. Vater, v
3. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 2. F�rwahr,
4. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 3. Frau, hi
5. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 4. Mein Got
6. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: Introduzione
7. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 5. Jesus ru
8. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 6. Es ist v
9. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: No. 7. Vater, i
10. Die Sieben letzten Worte unseres Erl�sers am Kreuze (The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross), oratorio, H. 20/2: Il Terremoto (D

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #791942 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

A winner -- exciting, rich period performance
I really enjoyed this CD, and with this record the Seven Last Words has become my favorite Haydn oratorio. The music is played and sung wonderfully, as well as richly and beautifully recorded.

This is a period recording. Christoph Spering has made a name for himself and Das Neue Orchester, which performs these works, with historically accurate techniques and period instruments -- including catgut strings tuned at 10-25 Hz below standard modern tunings. Das Neue Orchester says it was the first orchestra to apply historic performance techniques to Romantic-era works, although of course that's not an issue here. Spering is also director of the Chorus Musicus Köln, which performs on the vocal side here.

Hats off to Spering, the orchestra and the chorus. I was unfamiliar with them before listening to this CD, but here they have put together an exciting and fresh recording of a classical masterpiece. After this, I certainly won't shy away from their recordings in the future.

The liner notes contain the full text of the oratorio in German, English and French, as well as a brief historical/analytical essay on the piece, along the lines of what you'd find in performance program notes.

If there is a downside, it is probably with the composition itself. I said it is now my favorite Haydn oratorio, but when you think about, there is a definite disconnect between the music and what it's trying to communicate. The oratorio sounds very uplifting and hopeful -- definitely very optimistic considering this is supposed to be about the pain and suffering of Jesus on the cross. It's hard to believe this oratorio and Mel Gibson's "The Passion" are about the same events. Josef and Mel definitely put different spins on those events.

I guess they did things differently in 1796. And that's OK. Whatever it's about, this is really great music.