​From our respective homes, we’ve been working on something; the setting of Luther’s chorale ‘Mitten wir im Leben sind’ appears like an oasis in the middle of Telemann’s rarely-performed late masterpiece, the cantata Dich rühmen die Welten for St Michael and All Angels 1762.

We would have sung this chorale on 13 March with Les Passions de l'Ame in Bern, but the concert was cancelled on the day. Instead, we’ve now chosen to perform it a capella (as we would have done in concert) from our homes, to reflect human vulnerability and helplessness in the face of death, which leads many to turn to spirituality.

“It was like a light went on in my head” - we caught up with soprano Zoë Brookshaw to reflect on being part of the SK collective. 

​ ​Look out for more clips in our #SKunlocked series over the next period 

As we are revisiting Bach's St John Passion BWV245 (1725 version) for Holy Week, Artistic Director Jonathan Sells reflects on Passion and themes of sacrifice, compassion and love in the tide of corona:

"It is particularly poignant to reflect on the themes of Passion-tide under the current circumstances.  Believers and non-believers alike can find inspiration in the extraordinary story of Jesus' trial, crucifixion and death. "

Read his full reflection HERE
​

We performed the St John Passion last year at Wigmore Hall and would like to share Scene I from our performance at the Bachfest in Leipzig in June last year. By subscribing to our YouTube channel, you'll get notified of new clips we will release throughout Holy Week.

For our next performances, we're delighted to return to Bern to collaborate again with our friends of the early music ensemble Les Passions de l'Ame, led by violinist Meret Lüthi,  for an all Telemann programme. In Die Donner-Ode Telemann set the Psalm of David to music in a festive, extrovert way with a prominent role for the timpani, symbolising thunder, as the title suggest. This extremely popular vocal work by Telemann consists of two parts, which will be combined with two of his late sacred works.

Concerts take place at Les Passions de l'Ame's home town Bern on 13 March, and at the Telemannfesttage in Magdeburg, Germany on 15 March.

"The close connection, the special atmosphere that is created with the audience, was also well transferred to CD by the musicians in this live-recording [...]. You can hear how each of the individual members of the collective identify with their own interpretation, which ensures a great musical experience. Seasonal Baroque from Leipzig, music which you can confidently enjoy even in the days after Christmas!" - commented Michael Gmasz on Radio Klassik, Vienna 


“there’s a real sense of do or die, they’re right on the edge of their seats...a beautifully-conceived programme...one of my favourites” - commented Alexandra Coghlan on BBC Radio 3 Record Review

“if those pounding drum beats and bright trumpets don't set your heart racing, you've no soul. [...] Playing and singing are stellar throughout the disc, the live recording thrillingly immediate.” - Review by Graham Rickson for The Arts Desk

 
“Bach’s Magnificat [..] from the lean, sprightly forces of Solomon’s Knot [is] highly recommended” - Review by Fiona Maddocks for The Observer

 
“This recording is a delight, and well represents Solomon’s Knot particularly individual style of live performance.” - Blog Andrew Benson Wilson

A little taster of our upcoming Charpentier concerts, by courtesy of ClassicFM:

Don't miss out on hearing this wonderful music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier for Christmastide, which is so rarely performed live in the UK. 
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Book now for our performance on Monday 9 December, 7.30pm at St John's Smith Square

With some wonderfully emotive French music for Christmastide we turn to Marc-Antoine Charpentier for our annual seasonal concerts.

Shepherds and angels tell us the story of Nativity in two expressive sacred works about the arrival of baby Jesus.  

This is a rare chance to hear us perform festive music from 17th-century France, which is seldom performed in the UK. 

Find out more about the music in this Q&A with  our artistic advisor James Halliday.


To book tickets:

Sat 7 Dec, 4.30pm
Early Music Christmas Festival in York
sold out

Mon 9 Dec, 7.30pm
St John's Smith Square
BOOK NOW

Ahead of our December concerts at the Christmas Festival of the National Centre for Early Music in York and at St John's Smith Square in London, we had a chat with James Halliday to take us through the specific seasonal repertoire by Marc-Antoine Charpentier we'll be performing:

"If you’re on a quest for the ever more elusive ‘meaning of Christmas’, then this concert is for you."

Read the Q&A with James here

​L'ospedale is now available on DVD!
With the upcoming release of our first CD, we thought it would be a good occasion to release a DVD as well.  L'ospedale was our very first opera production, at Wilton's Music Hall in 2015. Taking re-discovered material by an anonymous 17th-century composer which sets the biting and zany satire of Antonio Abati's poetry, L'ospedale resonates across the centuries as we continue to struggle to keep ourselves healthy at a reasonable cost.​