Diary

Nikolaikirche, Leipzig, Germany

Bach’s Mass in B Minor is among the most ambitious choral works in the repertoire — a summation of a lifetime’s compositional thought, assembling music spanning three decades into a single, vast architectural whole. It was never performed complete in Bach’s lifetime. That it now receives performances at all is itself an act of reconstruction and faith.

Solomon’s Knot performs it entirely from memory — a commitment that demands a different order of preparation, and that returns something essential to the music. Polyphonic transparency, ensemble balance, and the precise articulation of Bach’s contrapuntal and rhetorical lines emerge not from a conductor’s direction but from the singers’ deep internalisation of text and music together.

A work of extraordinary scope, sung by heart.

AMUZ, Antwerp, Belgium

Bach’s Mass in B Minor is among the most ambitious choral works in the repertoire — a summation of a lifetime’s compositional thought, assembling music spanning three decades into a single, vast architectural whole. It was never performed complete in Bach’s lifetime. That it now receives performances at all is itself an act of reconstruction and faith.

Solomon’s Knot performs it entirely from memory — a commitment that demands a different order of preparation, and that returns something essential to the music. Polyphonic transparency, ensemble balance, and the precise articulation of Bach’s contrapuntal and rhetorical lines emerge not from a conductor’s direction but from the singers’ deep internalisation of text and music together.

A work of extraordinary scope, sung by heart.

Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom

Bach’s Mass in B Minor is among the most ambitious choral works in the repertoire — a summation of a lifetime’s compositional thought, assembling music spanning three decades into a single, vast architectural whole. It was never performed complete in Bach’s lifetime. That it now receives performances at all is itself an act of reconstruction and faith.

Solomon’s Knot performs it entirely from memory — a commitment that demands a different order of preparation, and that returns something essential to the music. Polyphonic transparency, ensemble balance, and the precise articulation of Bach’s contrapuntal and rhetorical lines emerge not from a conductor’s direction but from the singers’ deep internalisation of text and music together.

A work of extraordinary scope, sung by heart.

Junction, Goole, UK

The quartet is joined by presenter and music writer Katy Hamilton, to bring Beethoven’s creative world vividly to life through a combination of music and storytelling. A selection of movements from string quartets by composers who inspired Beethoven or were inspired by him are interspersed with historical detail as told by Katy. She provides historical context and human insight into the lives of these exceptional composers, their connections and their music.

Emmanuel Church, Barnsley, UK

The quartet is joined by presenter and music writer Katy Hamilton, to bring Beethoven’s creative world vividly to life through a combination of music and storytelling. A selection of movements from string quartets by composers who inspired Beethoven or were inspired by him are interspersed with historical detail as told by Katy. She provides historical context and human insight into the lives of these exceptional composers, their connections and their music.

Smith Square Hall, London, UK

London Festival of Baroque Music 2026 draws to a close with one of the great landmarks of Baroque music: J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor.