Chamber music plus recitation at Batha

Actor Michael Lonsdale

The French quartet Ysaye performed The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross by Joseph Haydn with a poetic commentary written by Michel Serres, narrated by the actor Michael Lonsdale.


The prize-winning group, which was formed in 1984 when the members were students at the Paris Conservatory, have always wanted to perform this piece with accompanying words. The result is an injection between each movement of a homily on the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Michel Serres was approached to write the narration and he accepted immediately.

Yovan Markovitch, cellist

Haydn's music takes as its theme the final words of Christ's Passion - "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do". The music was beautiful and worked extremely well in the small space of the Batha Museum garden. The narration was sadly not at the same level. However the musicians and actor are to be praised for their professionalism as their two flights had been so delayed that they arrived in Fez only 45 minutes before the performance without even the chance to do a sound check. They actually walked in to the venue as the audience were taking their seats.

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