Pergolesi: Septem verba a Christo in cruce moriente prolata

Description

"The present setting of the Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ grippingly depicts the story of Christ's Crucifixion in fourteen "Musical Dialogues." Listen to the world premiere recording of this Major work of the Neapolitan Baroque, performed by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under the direction of René Jacobs (HMC 902155)."

Hermann Scherchen, who was the first to take up the cause of the one-hour-plus long, colorfully scored work, came to the conclusion: One of the most heartfelt works of art, full of gentleness and profound sensitivity. Since 1936, when two manuscripts of monastic provenance were discovered, musical scholars have been asking themselves whether the Septem verba is authentic or solely attributable to Sig. Pergolese. It is only thanks to the scholarly comparison of all manuscripts and to the discovery of two new sources which impressively confirm the existence of an active reception of this work in the mid 18th century, that the authorship and transmission can be newly evaluated.

1. Recitativo: Christus (Verbum I)
2. Aria: Anima (Verbum I)
3. Recitativo: Christus (Verbum II)
4. Aria: Anima (Verbum II)
5. Recitativo: Christus (Verbum III)
6. Recitativo: Anima (Verbum III)
7. Aria: Christus (Verbum IV)
8. Aria: Anima (Verbum IV)
9. Aria: Christus (Verbum V)
10. Aria: Anima (Verbum V)
11. Aria: Christus (Verbum VI)
12. Aria: Anima (Verbum VI)
13. Recitativo: Christus (Verbum VII)
14. Aria: Anima (Verbum VII)