From London to Porto, from Namur to Kraków: Bach, alongside Handel and Buxtehude, heralds the arrival of spring

In London, the 150th Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall

A landmark event at London’s Royal Albert Hall: the 2026 concert given by the Royal Choral Society and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra marked the 150th anniversary of this long-standing tradition. Every Good Friday, the Royal Choral Society and its 150 singers perform Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of Britain’s most beloved choral works, it once again played to a full house this year, with an audience of 5,500.

With the Royal Choral Society, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Richard Cooke.

In Porto, a St John Passion with the Casa da Música Orchestra

At Porto’s Casa da Música, conductor Leo Warynski led the Casa da Música Orchestra and Baroque Choir in a staging of Bach’s St John Passion, directed by French stage director Antoine Gindt.

With the Casa da Música Orchestra and Baroque Choir and Leo Warynski.

In Versailles, a St John Passion with the Opéra Royal Orchestra

The Opéra Royal Orchestra of Versailles, under the direction of Gaétan Jarry, performed Bach’s St John Passion on four occasions over the Easter period: at the Opéra Royal in Versailles, at Salle Gaveau in Paris and in Poissy. For the occasion, the orchestra was joined by the renowned Tölzer Knabenchor. Founded in 1956 near Munich, the boys’ choir is the heir to more than seven decades of the highest choral standards, and has appeared worldwide with conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, James Levine and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

With James Way, Robert Pohlers, Sreten Manojlović, Morgan Pearse, the Tölzer Knabenchor, the Opéra Royal Orchestra and Gaétan Jarry.

In Aix-en-Provence, a St John Passion with Camille Delaforge

At the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, following Laurence Equilbey in 2013, conductor Camille Delaforge made her debut in this work at the Grand Théâtre de Provence with Bach’s St John Passion, performed with her ensemble Il Caravaggio and the Accentus choir.

With Marie Lys, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Cyrille Dubois, Guilhem Worms, Mathieu Gourlet, Il Caravaggio, the Accentus Choir and Camille Delaforge.

In Rotterdam, three St Matthew Passions with Leonardo García-Alarcón

At De Doelen in Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Laurens Collegium gave three performances of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, under the direction of guest conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón.

With Sophie Junker, Olivia Vermeulen, Moritz Kallenberg, Mark Milhofer, Andreas Wolf, Tomáš Král, the National Boys’ Choir, the National Children’s Choir, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Laurens Collegium and Leonardo García-Alarcón.

In Namur, a rare Easter oratorio by Ziani

Premiered at the Hofkapelle in Vienna in 1706 on Good Friday, the work stages a rhetorical contest between the Devil, originator of original sin, and Death itself, which in turn lays claim to Christ’s demise — he who called himself “life itself”.

With Yannis François, Maximiliano Baños, Vincent Bouchot, Capucine Keller, Dagmar Šašková, Les Traversées Baroques and Étienne Meyer.

In Kraków, Buxtehude opens the Misteria Paschalia Festival

At St Catherine of Alexandria Church in Kraków, the ensembles Voces Suaves and Gli Incogniti opened the 2026 Misteria Paschalia Festival with Membra Jesu nostri, Dietrich Buxtehude’s masterpiece. This cycle of seven cantatas, alternating biblical verses with medieval devotional poetry, meditates on the different parts of Christ’s body: the feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart and face.

With Voces Suaves, Gli Incogniti and Amandine Beyer.