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Editorial Reviews

Under the steady hands of Frans Brüggen, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century performs the orchestral version of Haydn's "The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross" with sculpted balances, molded ensembles, and bright but warmly blended colors. Brüggen gives Haydn's music the sense of seriousness and spirituality it needs to succeed, but never allows the work to become bogged down in its own solemnity. Glossa's digital sound is as smooth, clean, and present as the best digital sound from Deutsche Grammophon.

Aside from being affectionately played, lovingly conducted, and beautifully recorded, this disc has the novelty of brief intermezzi played between the movements, written by American composer Ron Ford. The intermezzi are stylistically unlike anything in the piece, or anything Haydn ever composed, for that matter. They could be described as sedate snippets from Ligeti's "Lontano": short, mildly dissonant chords that swell and fade almost before the listener is aware they are there. Brüggen has written that he was looking for brief musical interludes to take the place of the Gospel readings that were originally intended to separate the movements, and Ford's intermezzi serve that function. The aesthetic viewpoint of the listener will determine whether or not they satisfactorily serve that function. For some, Ford's intermezzi may be sublime, while for others they may be ridiculous. But one thing is certain: no listener is likely to be indifferent to them. James Leonard, All Music Guide

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