Bath Bachfest

Bath Bachfest 2025 – a midwinter musical treat.

This year’s Bath Bachfest attracted rave reviews from across the musical spectrum.   Opening with an organ recital in Bath Abbey by Notre Dame’s organist, Olivier Latry, who according to The Guardian, is ‘long pre-eminent among French musicians’, and closing with The English Concert’s truly glorious performance of J S Bach’s great Mass in B minor, under Kristian Bezuidenhout’s excellent direction, we – and the extremely appreciative audiences – were delighted to agree.

The Saturday morning combination of cellist Adrian Brendel and that great exponent of the harpsichord, Mahan Esfahani, was a sell-out, with a queue for any returned tickets.  In introducing their works Mahan summed up the reason why the Bachfest, and its sister Mozartfest, are packed with top class players every year: ‘When I arrived in the UK, twenty years ago, I was told by follow musicians, if you are offered an engagement by Amelia Freedman you are doing very well!’, his tribute to the festivals’ artistic director was echoed by thunderous applause.

With wonderful Baroque concerts from Florilegium with mezzo soprano Helen Charlston, and Rachel Podger’s peerless Brecon Baroque in the atmospheric setting of St Mary’s Bathwick, this year’s festival was completed by a delightful Shakespeare Miscellany, with readings and music.

So another splendid celebration of J S Bach and his Baroque contemporaries, set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most remarkable cities with its Roman and Georgian heritage, has drawn to a close.  We thank all our supporters, locals and visitors, and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Next year’s Bath Bachfest will take place from Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st February 2026.

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