Kothener Trauermusik

Description

For its first album on Linn, Solomon’s Knot performs one of Bach's most fascinating works. Although not a single note of the Köthener Trauermusik survives, we know almost all the other details: the date of the premiere, the first performers, the librettist, and the libretto. Following a commission from Solomon’s Knot (for its performance and live recording), Chad Kelly reconstructed the work from several sources, primarily the first version of the St. Matthew Passion. This reconstruction does not claim to be authoritative, which would be unattainable and irrelevant. On the contrary, Kelly employs thoughtful creative license to revive two essential elements of the original score: the sincerity of the text and the context in which the work was written. "One of the most innovative and imaginative English ensembles" (The Observer), Solomon’s Knot is full of vitality in this interpretation recorded at the Dreieinigkeitskirche as part of the Tage Alter Musik Regensburg festival.