Unlike the well-known settings of the "Seven Last Words" by Schütz or Haydn, in his opulently scored composition Franck provides commentary to the words of Jesus with excerpts from the Old and New Testaments as well as from portions of the "Stabat Mater". In his transposition of the Latin text into music Franck reveals a rich palette of compositional parameters: “different-sized ensembles, exciting orchestration, formal variety and sophisticated harmony. Laments, simple passages for the choir in unison, passages with great drama, melodic shapes filled with sweetness convey to the listener a multi-layered impression of a composition stamped by a strongly personal will toexpression.“ Württembergische Blätter für Kirchenmusik 1/1991
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