János Rolla & Liszt Academy Chamber Orchestra/2 Presented by Liszt Academy

The origins of Haydn’s oratorio are somewhat complicated. In 1786, the composer received a commission from the city of Cádiz in southwest Spain: he was asked to compose an orchestral work for the service on Good Friday. There are seven musical meditations between the introductory movement and the ‘earthquake’ ending – these correspond to the Seven Words of Jesus on the Cross. Nearly ten years later, in the mid-1790s, Haydn made an oratorio arrangement from the series. The libretto in German was compiled by Dutch-Austrian diplomat and official Gottfried van Swieten, one of the famous patrons of the composers of the First School of Vienna. ▪ The concert features students of the Liszt Academy: during 2020, the Liszt Academy Chamber Orchestra take to the stage in three concerts under the leadership of János Rolla, Kossuth Prize violinist, in the framework of the Masters of the Orchestra series. On this second occasion, the ensemble are complemented by the mixed choir of the university. Students give a recital of the grandiose work by the Viennese master under the baton of choirmaster teacher Csaba Somos, and leader of the university’s symphony orchestra, Gergely Ménesi.