Haydn — Seven Last Words | Mozart — Church Sonatas | Strżdała | Bywalec | Chamber Orchestra

Performers: Daniel Strządała — organ

Szymon Bywalec — conductor

Silesian Chamber Orchestra

Program: Joseph Haydn — The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Church Sonatas

Ludwig van Beethoven — Grand Fugue in B major, Op. 133

Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven — three Viennese classics whose works have permanently shaped the history of music. The concert program will combine one of the most important passion works of the 18th century, liturgical miniatures of Mozart and a composition that remains one of the greatest challenges for performers and listeners to this day.

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross by Joseph Haydn are among the most important works of passion music. The composition was created in 1786 by order of the Cathedral Chapter of Cádiz, where it was performed during the Good Friday service. Each of the seven parts is a musical reflection on one of the last sentences spoken by Christ on the cross, and the whole leads the listener from focused meditation to a dramatic finale depicting the earthquake described in the Gospel.

The program will also include a series of church sonatas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They were created for the liturgy celebrated in Salzburg and were performed between the different parts of the service. Although they are small in size, they delight with elegance, melodiousness and masterful simplicity of form. A special role here is played by the organs, which conduct a subtle dialogue with the orchestra, giving the music a serene and light-filled character.

The evening will conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven's Grand Fugue in B major, Op. 133 — a work that continues to fascinate with its courage and innovation. Initially, it was the final of the XIII String Quartet, but contemporary composers considered it too demanding and incomprehensible. Thus, Beethoven published the fugue as an independent work, leaving to future generations one of the most remarkable achievements of the musical imagination. Violent contrasts, intricate polyphony and immense power of expression make the Great Fugue sound surprisingly modern to this day. It is no coincidence that Igor Stravinsky called it “a contemporary work forever.”

CONCERT INFORMANT