Program:
The celebrated ensemble, in their penultimate performance in the Bay Area after 43+years, will perform Joseph Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ, the composer’s reflection on Good Friday, interspersed with reflections spoken by Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean of Grace Cathedral, and others. The reflections were chosen by the Very Rev. Alan William Jones, in whose memory this performance is given.
The Seven Last Words of Christ by Joseph Haydn was commissioned in 1786 for the Good Friday service at Oratorio de la Santa Cueva (Holy Cave Oratory) in Cádiz, Spain. The seven main meditative sections—labelled “sonatas” and all slow—are framed by a slow Introduction and a fast “Earthquake” conclusion, for a total of nine movements. At the request of his publisher, the composer in 1787 produced a version for string quartet: Haydn’s Opus 51. This is the form in which the music is most often heard today.
Event Details
The cathedral will open for seating at 5:30 pm. Enter the cathedral through the door at the top of the Great Steps, facing Taylor Street. The accessible entrance is via the glass doors on Taylor Street, to the left of the parking garage entrance. Turn left down the hallway and follow the signs to the elevator.