Donald Satz asked:

>What are Bob's favorite versions of the Seven Last Words in its various
>incarnations?

Some people think I am crazy for buying multiple versions of the work in
different genre without buying multiple versions of each of each genre.  I
remember someone I once worked with saying "Oh no not the seven last words
again" when I returned from a shopping trip.

My house is already bulging at the seams with CDs.  Also until recently one
had to take what one could get with this work because the record companies
were very tardy in issuing works of it.

So here's what I've got and what I think of it:

Shostakovich Quartet on Olympia:  Wonderful recording highly recommended.

Kodaly Quartet on Naxos.  Typical Kodaly Haydn recording with Naxos's clean
but warm sound.  I think they sanitise the work too much.  Remember Haydn
dedicated all his compositions to God.  Hence it's reasonable to assume he
mean't this work to be distressing.

Orchestral version, Orchestra of St Lukes, Rudel, Musicmasters MMD60238X.
Excellent version perfectly measured.  Strangely just a little to strong
an acoustic in this studio recording.

Choral Version Kammerchor Stuttgart Wurttembergisches orchestra Bernius on
Interchord Saphir.  INT 830.838 Big band Haydn with slightly dodgy edgy
sound dispite being DDD!  Performance including singing is OK.  This was
the only choral version I could find at the time.

Piano Reduction Yannick Le Gaillard on Le Chand Du Monde LDC 278 842.
Yannick plays on an 1818 Broadwood.  I wish he'd used an earlier instrument
say c1790.  Still I love this recording

Sinfonietta Saint Phillipe Neri, Bardon Commentary by Jean Marie Lustiger
(Cardinal Archeveque de Paris) on Koch 3-1562-2.  Sounds like a HIP
ensemble but I can't say for sure as all the notes are in French.  Typical
Koch wonderful sound and superb playing.  But perhaps too HIP with the
Cardinal's commentary intervening between each movement.

Every easter I listen to most of these versions.  But it's the Gaillard
I reach for first.

Bob Draper
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