First Presbyterian Church

The central work on this program is Haydn’s meditative masterpiece The Seven Last Words of Christ. It is a sacred and profoundly spiritual work structured upon the seven last statements attributed to Jesus. It was the custom in Cadiz Spain in the 18th century to produce or commission an oratorio each year during Lent. The seven meditations are drawn from all four Gospels of the New Testament. Haydn is not credited enough for the innovations and experimentation heard in this…