7 Last Words from the Cross
St Andrew's Cathedral
Sunday 31 Mar 2019 15:00
In March, Glasgow Chamber Choir are planning a performance of what is considered one of Sir James MacMillan’s greatest achievements: Seven Last Words from the cross, almost exactly 25 years after it was first performed in Glasgow.
Seven Last Words from the Cross
Sir James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross Widely admired as one of MacMillan’s finest achievements, his Seven Last Words from the Cross is an absorbing and moving experience in concert, for performers and audience alike. The cantata sets the seven last sentences uttered by Christ on the cross, meditating on each to form a dramatic and emotional sequence.
"...probably MacMillan's masterpiece... the maturity in this composition is astounding: the tonal structure of the seven settings, harmony which can be spare or lush without ever being overwritten, an inexorable sense of the drama in the text, the balance between voice and strings." The Guardian
The MacMillan is paired with JS Bach’s Easter cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden. Both pieces are accompanied by strings.
Christ Lag in Todesbanden (BWV4)
J.S Bach Christ Lag In Todesbanden (BWV4) Bach’s cantata Christ lag in Todesbanen (Christ lay in the snares of death) is one of his earliest church cantatas, based on Martin Luther’s hymn of the same name, the main hymn for Easter in the Lutheran church. Each section of the cantata is based on the same chorale theme, and there are a mixture of solo and choral sections.
Seven Last Words from the Cross
Sir James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross Widely admired as one of MacMillan’s finest achievements, his Seven Last Words from the Cross is an absorbing and moving experience in concert, for performers and audience alike. The cantata sets the seven last sentences uttered by Christ on the cross, meditating on each to form a dramatic and emotional sequence.
"...probably MacMillan's masterpiece... the maturity in this composition is astounding: the tonal structure of the seven settings, harmony which can be spare or lush without ever being overwritten, an inexorable sense of the drama in the text, the balance between voice and strings." The Guardian
The MacMillan is paired with JS Bach’s Easter cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden. Both pieces are accompanied by strings.
Christ Lag in Todesbanden (BWV4)
J.S Bach Christ Lag In Todesbanden (BWV4) Bach’s cantata Christ lag in Todesbanen (Christ lay in the snares of death) is one of his earliest church cantatas, based on Martin Luther’s hymn of the same name, the main hymn for Easter in the Lutheran church. Each section of the cantata is based on the same chorale theme, and there are a mixture of solo and choral sections.
