Customer Reviews
Superb performances - By: A J WOODWARD, 22 Aug 2002 
Like all the other Eliot Gardiner Bach recordings I have heard, this one hits the nail absolutely on the head. The playing is always precise & clearly articulated, while the tempi are, to me, perfectly judged, never allowing the more solemn pieces to slip into sentimentality. The forces that are used are not so large as to muddy any of the individual parts, but can still convey the power of the music where appropriate. The recording is beautifully balanced, allowing all the lines to be heard clearly. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay this recording is to say that it allows the listener to appreciate 100% of the music, with no detail being lostin performance or recording. I have bought a number of the Eliot Gardiner recordings from their 2000 Bach Pilgrimage Tour - every one without exception has been wonderful.
A vibrant and accomplished rendition of exquisite Bach - By: , 14 Mar 2001 A cd of funeral music may appear at first sight not particularly uplifting, but Gardner's bright, incisive interpretation of these exquisitely bitter-sweet cantatas is rivetting from start to finish. And with soloists the calibre of Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta & Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, the result is electrifying. A precision of tone & clarity of articulation is essentialin Bach, &in this respect both the choir & soloists excel. The final motet is a richly underscored triumphant end to a cd of fine Bach interpretation.
