Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ” is being performed as part of our commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn. This classical composition, which features seven meditations on the last words of Christ, was commissioned in 1787 for the Good Friday service at the Grotto Santa Cueva near Cádiz in southern Spain. The piece consists of an introduction, seven sonatas and a finale. Accompanying the sonatas will be  meditations delivered by local clergy.

Best known as first violin with the Guarneri String Quartet, Arnold Steinhardt also has appeared in recitals and as guest soloist with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. He also served as assistant concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. During the summer of 1964, Steinhardt and three other string players, joined by pianist Rudolf Serkin, performed chamber music at the Marlboro Festival in Vermont. Their success, and the encouragement of Alexander Schneider, a member of the legendary Budapest String Quartet, prompted the group, without Serkin, to form the Guarneri String Quartet.