HAYDN THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS VLADIMIR JUROWSKI conductor LISA MILNE soprano RUXANDRA DONOSE mezzo soprano ANDREW KENNEDY tenor CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN baritone LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA and CHOIR HAYDN THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS It is often forgotten that Haydn was an opera, On his way to London in January 1794 Haydn mass and oratorio composer. He wrote so made a stop in Passau, a small town near Linz, many symphonies and chamber compositions where his Seven Last Words was performed in a that his vocal music output has somehow choral version, with the arrangement (and added been overshadowed by them. But his vocal choral parts) made by a local composer and compositions form almost half his total music director Joseph Friebert, who also provided output. His vocal style often reflected the the text based on the final utterances of Christ discoveries he made in his instrumental on the Cross drawn from the four Gospels. After works, just as in the music of JS Bach. Haydn’s hearing this performance Haydn told his pupil major and most popular oratorios, The Neukomm that ‘I think, I myself could have Creation and The Seasons, were written in written the vocal parts better’. Immediately the last years of his life, when he returned on his arrival in Vienna in the autumn of to Vienna as a hero after his triumphant 1795, Haydn started reworking Friebert’s successes in London. arrangement. Haydn revised the orchestration and made numerous changes to the choral The music of The Seven Last Words of our parts. Baron von Swieten, an influential figure Saviour on the Cross (Hob.XX:2), the shortest in Vienna, the imperial librarian and censor, of the four oratorios Haydn composed, was amended the text and helped to arrange the written much earlier, as an instrumental première at Schwarzenberg in March 1796. composition. In 1785, while still in Esterházy, Haydn received a rather unusual commission: In this new choral version Haydn added seven he was asked to write orchestral interludes short unaccompanied chorale-like episodes (or Easter meditations) for a Good Friday (corresponding to the text of the seven last church service at Cádiz Cathedral in Spain. words of Jesus) between the movements. In this first original version Haydn called the These episodes, written in a rather old work 7 sonate, con un’ introduzione, ed al fashioned style, with no metre, remind one fine un terremoto (Seven Sonatas, with an of an old church chant preceding the liturgy. Introduction, and at the end an Earthquake). Perhaps this was a reflection of the original In 1787, Haydn arranged the work for string project for Cádiz Cathedral where Haydn’s quartet (the version most often played now). music was used as part of a church service. Haydn also wrote a new introduction to the A note on the performance second half of the piece (preceding No. 5 of from Vladimir Jurowski the oratorio). This is one of Haydn’s most This performance, recorded live at the Royal amazing and revolutionary compositions. Festival Hall in November 2009, juxtaposes Written for woodwind and brass instruments Haydn’s original instrumental movements only, and including the extremely low and with the later choral versions. As the London ‘hollow’ tone of the contra bassoon (the Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Conductor instrument is used only in this introduction), Vladimir Jurowski explains, ‘the text is in this slow and ‘alien’ music sounds almost like such opposition to the universality and a genuine introduction to the next world. breadth of expression of the music that I believe the oratorio version, which is quite The oratorio finishes with its only fast popular, became an obstacle for people to movement, Il terremoto, which abruptly breaks understand the true greatness of the music. into the rather mystical ending of the previous movement, with a very low bass solo on the ‘Performing it in this way, in my opinion, words meinen Geist (my soul). Here Haydn gives the work back some of its former changes the music and the orchestration glory because when we listen to the music dramatically, adding kettledrums and two without words we are free to associate with trumpets (for the first time in the oratorio) whatever we like. The words are no longer and asking for extremes in the tempo and in the central focus, but a variation, another the articulation: Presto e con tutta la forza. layer of pre-existing material. I felt it was important to hear the music first in its original Somewhat symbolically, Haydn’s last public shape, and then what it has become.’ appearance as a conductor was at the Vienna performance of his oratorio Seven Last Words on 26 December 1803. After this he retired almost completely from social life and concert engagements. © Alexander Ivashkin 2009 HAYDN THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS PART 1 01 Introduzione 02 No.1: Vater, vergib ihnen, Father, forgive them, Denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun. for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34 Vater im Himmel, o sieh hernieder Father in Heaven, look down Vom ewigen Thron! from thy eternal throne! Vater der Liebe, dein Eingeborner, Loving Father, thy only begotten Son Er fleht für Sünder, für deine Kinder, prays for sinners, for thy children, Erhöre den Sohn! grant the prayer of thy Son! Ach, wir sind tief gefallen, Alas, we have fallen from grace, Wir sündigten schwer; we have grievously sinned; Doch allen zum Heil, uns allen, but for us all and for our salvation Floss deines Sohnes Blut. thy Son has shed his blood. Das Blut des Lamms schreit nicht um Rach’; The blood of the Lamb does not cry out for Es tilgt die Sünden. vengeance; Vater der Liebe, lass uns Gnade finden, it redeems our sins. Erhöre den Sohn! Loving Father, let us find grace, Grant the prayer of thy Son. 03 No.2: Fürwahr, ich sag’ es dir: Verily, I say unto thee: Heute wirst du bei mir im Paradiese sein. today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Luke 23:43 Ganz Erbarmen, Gnad’ und Liebe, Full of mercy, grace and love, Bist du Mittler, Gotteslamm. thou art the mediator, the Lamb of God. Kaum ruft jener reuig auf zu dir: If he but calls to thee, full of remorse: Wenn du kommest when thou enterest In dein Reich, ach, so denke mein! into thy kingdom, alas, think of me! So versprichst du ihm voll Milde: To him thou didst promise, full of pity: Heut’ wirst du bei mir im Paradiese sein. today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Herr und Gott! Blick auf uns! Lord God! Look upon us! Sieh an deines Kreuzes Fusse See at the foot of thy Cross Unsre wahre Reu’ und Busse! our true remorse and repentance! Sieh, o Vater, unsere Reue! O Father, see our remorse! Gib uns auch zur letzten Stunde Grant us in our final hour Jenen Trost aus deinem Munde: that consolation from thy lips: Heut’ wirst du bei mir im Paradiese sein. today shalt thou be with me in Paradise. 04 No.3: Frau, hier siehe deinen Sohn, Woman, behold thy son, Und du, siehe deine Mutter! and thou, behold thy mother! John 19:26–27 Mutter Jesu, die du trostlos weinend, Mother of Jesus, weeping in despair, Seufzend bei dem Kreuze standst, standing sighing by the Cross, Und die Qualen seines Leidens and in the hour of bitter parting, In der Stund’ des bittern Schneidens the torments of his suffering Siebenfach in dir empfandst. thou didst feel in sevenfold measure. Kaum mehr fähig, dich zu fassen, Barely conscious in thy anguish, Und doch standhaft und gelassen, yet ever steadfast and composed, Nimmst als Sohn den freuen Jünger thou didst take as thy son the faithful disciple Und mit ihm auch uns als Kinder an. and didst take all of us as thy children. Mutter Jesu, o du Zuflucht aller Sünder, Mother of Jesus, refuge of all sinners, Hör das Flehen deiner Kinder. hear the entreaty of thy children. O du Zuflucht aller Sünder, Refuge of all sinners, Steh uns bei im letzten Streit, be with us in our final throes, Mutter voll der Zärtlichkeit, Mother full of tenderness O steh uns allen bei! be our succour! Wenn wir mit dem Tode ringen When with death we struggle Und aus dem beklemmten Herzen and the sighs of our fearful hearts Unsre Seufzer zu dir dringen, rise aloft to thee, Lass uns, Mutter, lass uns da nicht unterliegen! let us not, Mother, let us not succumb! Hilf uns dann den Feind besiegen. Help us to overcome the enemy. Und steh uns bei im letzten Streit! Be with us in our final throes! Wenn wir mit dem Tode ringen, When at last with death we struggle O da zeige dich als Mutter show us that thou art our Mother Und empfehl’ uns deinem Sohn, o Mutter! and, O Mother, intercede for us with thy Son. 05 No.4: Mein Gott! Warum hast du mich verlassen? My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46 (or Mark 15:34) Warum hast du mich verlassen? Why hast thou forsaken me? Wer sieht hier der Gottheit Spur? Who can see God’s work in this? Wer kann fassen dies Geheimnis? Who can grasp this mystery? O Gott der Kraft und Macht, O God of strength and might, O Gott der Macht und Stärke O God of might and power, Wir sind deiner Hände Werke, we are the works of thy hand, Und deine Lieb, o Herr, hat uns erlöst.