Bach: Cantatas Vol 1 / Gardiner, Lunn, Keith

"The first issue in the long-awaited series of live recordings, made on the artists' Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000. The cantatas were performed on the feast days for which they were written and this series will be the first to reflect those couplings. Each 2CD set is sumptuously packaged in a beautiful case-bound book, with stunning cover photos by Steve McCurry, detailed programme notes adapted from John Eliot Gardiner's Pilgrimage Journal, and full sung texts and translations. The works in Volume 1 are perhaps not amongst the most well-known of Bach's Cantatas, but they show incredible variety - including the monumental ""Christ unser Herr"", the imposing ""O Ewigkeit"", with its anticipation of the sonorities of Beethoven, and the brilliant and ceremonial ""Freue dich"", with its surpising jazzy rhythms in the enchanting gavotte for alto, flute and muted violins. Almost all have grandiose choral first movements which show off the Monteverdi Choir at their very best. ""Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his musicians deserve the undying gratitude of all lovers of Bach."" (Hugh Canning, Sunday Times)"