“Another treasure chest of refreshment and musical surprises...Highlights include the exploratory BWV 150, the jazzy duet from BWV 97, Paul Agnew and David Watkins’s tenor aria with cello accompaniment (BWV 183), and the final Johann Christoph Bach motet – to die for.” The Times, 4th July 2008 ****
“There is a genuine pilgrim’s humility about this recording that contrasts tellingly with the magnificence of the achievement. Gardiner has made history.” The Times
“This latest volume from Gardiner's 2000 Bach Pilgrimage exudes the now-familiar sense of urgent, excited discovery. None of these cantatas is well known. Yet the power and fertility of Bach's invention are spellbinding...
As ever, Gardiner and his crack forces combine dramatic flair (the turba chorus in No 44 has a shocking ferocity), rhetorical subtlety and a profound feeling for Bach's unique vein of morbid inwardness.” The Telegraph, 9th August 2008
“This is Bach at a very high level - a match for anything else that is currently available on disc.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 *****
“Once again, Gardiner’s Monteverdi Choir is the jewel in the crown of each cantata performance. Add to that Gardiner’s dramatic, electric response to music he clearly loves and you have a set that rivals his Gramophone Record of the Year Award-winning disc that launched this amazing series.” Gramophone Magazine
