Solomon's Knot

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) Stabat Mater for 10 voices

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Missa Brevis in A BWV 234

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759) Dixit Dominus HWV 232

Newly appointed Baroque Ensemble in Residence at Wigmore Hall Solomon’s Knot is considered ‘one of the UK’s most innovative and imaginative ensembles’. Class 1685 features three composers, each of them a defining character of the Baroque, all born in 1685. In some ways they can be seen as standing for three different national styles: Italian, German, and English.  Bach’s Mass in A major combines ancient choral polyphony with modern aria forms which were fashionable in the opera house and the cantata. Handel’s Dixit Dominus of 1707 is a firework of Latin religious fervour, and will be sung one-to-a-part and, as ever, by heart by the singers of Solomon’s Knot and is in contrast to the more lyrical yearning of Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater for 10 voices and continuo. 

About the musicians

Solomon’s Knot is an international, flexible collective of leading instrumentalists and singers who bring old music to new life by pushing the limits of what is possible on stage.

With no conductor, they sing everything from memory, integrating innovative live performance with scrupulous musical preparation to produce an intense and visceral experience for the audience. The group’s acclaimed sound is defined by tight, compact instrumental playing coupled with the vocal virtuosity of soloists who meld as an intuitive ensemble.