BBC Proms - 2009 - Prom 06: Haydn, MacMillan - 20/07/2009

From the Royal Albert Hall, Douglas Boyd directs a performance of two powerful sacred works. Haydn's Seven Last Words were commissioned by Cadiz Cathedral for performance on Good Friday 1786. Haydn regarded these orchestral meditations upon Christ's Crucifixion as among his most successful works. He quickly arranged the music for piano and string quartet and later adapted it as a cantata. Two centuries later, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words was commissioned by BBC Television and shown in nightly instalments during Holy Week 1994. Revived to mark the composer's 50th birthday, this powerfully dramatic cantata is underscored by echoes of plainsong, Bach chorales and traditional Scottish laments. Elizabeth Watts (soprano) Renata Pokupic (mezzo-soprano) Andrew Kennedy (tenor) Darren Jeffery (bass-baritone) BBC Singers Manchester Camerata Douglas Boyd (conductor) Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross James MacMillan: Seven Last Words from the Cross.