Solomon’s Knot makes its debut at Wigmore Hall with a rarely heardversion of a familiar favourite. The Johannes-Passion of JS Bach existsin four different variants, not all of which are fully reconstructible, andthat with which we are most familiar is a combination of these. Forhis second performance in 1725, just one year after the first, Bachmade significant changes: the framing choral pillars of the work werereplaced, and key arias, above all for the tenor, were changed. Fans ofthe Johannes-Passion unfamiliar with the 1725 version will have thepleasure of seeing (or hearing!) an old friend in a new light. Solomon’sKnot will also perform the motet that was sung after every Passionperformance in Leipzig, ‘Ecce quomodo moritur justus’ by Jacob Handl.

With its small forces, no conductor, and memorised performances,Solomon’s Knot is giving its beloved 17th- and 18th-century repertoire a‘serious kick up the baroque backside’ (365Bristol).