The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze

Version Orchestra and Narrator, 1787 - Music Joseph Haydn

«Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do».

ABOUT
This theatrical rendition of Haydn’s landmark work connects modern-day Jerusalem with the universality of the 7 Last Words. Our performance reinvents the 1787 original ritual, initially conceived for Good Friday celebration, here reinterpreted for modern-day secular audiences, and with a theatrical twist: a secular Narrator « guides » the meditation of the audience through 7 musical sequences. By doing so, the Narrator helps the audience to understand the ongoing significance of Haydn’s message.
Filmed in Jerusalem, the video follows the Narrator as he delivers 7 brief speeches combining the Holy Scriptures with excerpts of classics by European poets and novelists. In 7 short films he meets with 7 inhabitants of Jerusalem, wearing headphones… Facing the camera, 7 silent characters stare at the spectators, while listening to the same music. The atmosphere is theatrical, deeply poetic and meditative, using 7 anonymous faces as emotional landscapes for Haydn’s masterpiece.

CAST

Installation and scenic design, Jean-Philippe Clarac & Olivier Deloeuil
Lighting Design, Christophe Pitoiset
Video, Julien Roques
Editing, Jean-François Hautin
Dramaturgy, Luc Bourrousse

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES
Staatstheater Hannover, March 2020 (cancelled) - Opéra National de Bordeaux, April 2019 - Opéra de Rouen Normandie, March 2019 - Cantiere Internazionale di Montepulciano, July 2017 - Casa da Musica Porto, November 2015 - Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Lisbon, March 2015. 

PRODUCTION
Clarac-Deloeuil > le lab, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon
With the support of Institut Français + Ville de Bordeaux

Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil
Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil
Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil
Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil
Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil
Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Haydn Clarac Deloeuil