Guide

José Peris Lacasa, composer and musical assessor to the Spanish national patrimony and organist at the Spanish Capilla del Palacio de Madrid, completed his studies in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and Darius Milhaud and in Carl Orff’s “Meisterklasse für Dramatische Komposition” in Munich.

Professor Peris Lacasa has created a new version of Haydn’s “Seven Last Words” in which for the first time the leading part is taken up by a solo voice, a mezzo soprano.

Haydn’s original work for string quartet was a commission by a capitular in Cádiz at the end of the 18th century to celebrate Good Friday in the church of Santa Cueva and became one of Haydn’s most famous compositions.

In the original work from 1786, each of the seven sonatas (representing seven meditations) were introduced by a spoken explanatory Latin text accompanied by a short sermon.

In Peris Lacasa’s version, the voice assumes the part of the first violin in each of the seven sonatas, the literary phrase always corresponding with the musical phrasing.

The original, the quartet composition had spoken comments by a priest with each corresponding sonata. In today’s version, only the music is interpreted, and in general without intervention of a priest.

Composer José Peris Lacasa about the performance: “This performance in the Vatican dedicated to a fundamental work in Christian spirituality is a great honour for me. This work is the result of my dedication to sacred music since the days of my youth. Different works reflect this dedication: the Concierto Espiritual on a poem of Cristo de Velásquez de Unamuno, the Te Deum for the commemoration of the Royal Monastery of the Spanish Court, among others.
I think that my sacred music is part and parcel of a tradition of Spanish polyphonists that goes back to the composers of the XVIth century”.

The world premiere of Peris Lacasa’s version in Madrid was performed by the Henschel Quartet on the Spanish court’s unique Stradivarius collection to an enthusiastic reception at the Royal Court during the Holy Week in 2008, soloist was the Spanish mezzo soprano Ana María Sánchez.

On 19 March 2010, the quintet version will be performed in presence of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, on Cardinal Ratzinger’s name day, at the Vatican’s Sala Clementina.

The solo part for lyrical mezzo soprano will be sung by Susanne Kelling.

After her studies at Cologne Music High School and at the Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, she was engaged to Munich National Opera by Zubin Mehta where she continues to perform.

Susanne was recently named “Cavaliere dell`Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana” (O.S.S.I.), the highest decoration recognized to expatriates for outstanding contribution to the Italian people.

Highly acclaimed debut concerts in many of Europe’s prestigious concert halls helped to firmly establish the Henschel Quartet as one of today’s leading string quartets.

Constant critical acclaim has led to an impressive international career which in 2010 will take them back to the Spanish court for a performance of Mozart & Schubert on the court’s precious Stradivarius string collection and on a tour of China, Japan and the USA.

Henschel Quartet PR
Dr. Silke Zimmermann
Consulting
Gerner Str. 48
80638 München-Nymphenburg
tel.: +49-89-32164429
mobile: +49-170-2711677
e-mail: slkzim@aol.com