Quartet XII: Haydn – The Seven Last Words from the Cross

Haydn’s Seven Last Words from the Cross: deep faith and even deeper emotion, brought to life today by the superb Quartet XII, musicians from The 12 Ensemble.

A darkened church, seven anguished words…and the musical challenge of a lifetime. In 1786, Joseph Haydn was asked to write seven wordless meditations for the most profound moment in the Christian calendar, and his imagination caught fire. The Seven Last Words from the Cross are charged with pity, tenderness and intense emotion. Haydn thought they were his masterpiece and there’s something profoundly moving about hearing them played live in a great church at this time of year. This is music to light up the soul, and Quartet XII – four members of the dynamic 12 Ensemble – keep the flame today.