What’s Special About This Concert:
This performance is presented in collaboration with Crown Heights Christian Church as the church’s Maundy Thursday worship service, marking the beginning of the Easter Triduum. The concert invites audiences to experience Haydn’s sacred masterpiece within the context of Holy Week reflection. This performance will be sung in English.
The service will be presented as a candlelight concert illuminated by more than 400 candles throughout the sanctuary. The warm glow of candlelight lining the aisles, altar, and performance space creates an intimate and contemplative setting for this powerful Holy Week meditation.
Joseph Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ was originally composed in 1786 for a Good Friday service in Cádiz, Spain. In the original service, the church was darkened while the music unfolded between reflections on Christ’s final words from the cross. This performance draws inspiration from that historic presentation.
The work meditates on Christ’s final words from the cross in a series of deeply expressive movements. In this performance, the texts of the “Seven Last Words” will be sung in English by the Crown Heights Christian Church Chancel Choir, allowing listeners to follow the Passion narrative as the music unfolds.
The performance brings together musicians of the Oklahoma Chamber Symphony and the Crown Heights Christian Church Chancel Choir under the direction of Music Director Kaleb Benda, highlighting a meaningful collaboration between orchestra and church community.
The Program:
HAYDN: The Seven Last Words of Christ (1786) | 56 mins
Sung in English
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Featured Musicians:
Additional Information:
Admission is free.
Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes with no intermission.
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