Keller Quartett

"My misery stems from country life," Haydn (1732-1809) wrote in one of his letters about his life in Esterhaza, where he lived for many years - be it in voluntary isolation. Many of his works found listeners all over Europe, all the way to Andalusian Cadiz. There he was commissioned to compose an orchestral work based on 'the seven last words' in 1875. An annual custom in Cadiz called for a citation of these words in the Cathedral in alternation with music. Haydn took up the challenge and made no less than four different versions: for orchestra, for string quartet, for piano and for solo voices, choir and orchestra. The quartet version is the most expressive of the four. Haydn commented, "dass es den Unerfahrensten den tiefsten Eindruck in seiner Seel erwecket". Always looking to link old and new repertory, the Keller Quartett asked the contemporary composer Jörg Widmann (°1973) to write seven short works for string quartet, as a kind of musical commentary to the parts of Haydn's 'Sieben letzten Worte'. The world premiere will take place at Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker in August 2003, after which it will be heard at the Berliner Festwochen 2003 and in deSingel.