Bach, J S: Ascension Oratorio 'Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen', BWV11

“The final volume in John Eliot Gardiner’s mammoth Bach Cantata sequence is one of the very best...The performances are incredibly assured, with tight, rich choral singing and orchestral playing full of felicitous detail. Several wonderful oboe da caccia solos stand out, and all is contained within the not-too-resonant acoustic of St Giles' Cripplegate.” The Arts Desk, 20th April 2013

“The standard of choral singing and orchestral playing is as high as always and though I have some reservations about the solo team these are largely subjective and not all will share them.” MusicWeb International, 21st May 2013

“What a swagger Gardiner brings to the beginning of BWV37...Best of all are the ebullient choruses that bookend the oratorio, exhibiting Gardiner's innate Bachian flair, and bringing to an end a celebratory journey that's ultimately uplifting.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2013 ****

“With a choir of 18 and a period band of 26, this is relatively large-scale Bach, but the liturgical occasions for which both works were rearranged merit such lavishness, and the music-making is sumptuous, Halls and his trumpeters revelling in the celebratory clamour of Bach’s writing...Top-drawer Bach throughout, beautifully recorded and documented by Linn.” Sunday Times, 27th March 2011 ****

“The excellent declamation, impeccable shaping of contrapuntal lines and flawless tuning of the Retrospect choir comes to the fore in the festive opening and closing choruses; the notably clean transparency between all four parts is achieved partly by an entirely male alto section but also by Halls's astute ability to convey each strand of vocal and instrumental detail.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011

“Get out your dancing shoes. Here’s Bach’s Easter Oratorio, pungent, brief and the most uplifting of all Easter’s musical memorials. It’s performed with expressive British soloists and superbly nuanced playing from Matthew Halls’s Retrospect Ensemble...Bach built both works out of the remains of previous pieces, but everything is transformed in glory by his genius. A disc to make your heart leap.” The Times, 9th April 2011 ****

“Oboist Alexandra Bellamy's phrasing and articulation illuminate the poetic content of the music, as does that of flautist Rachel Brown in her accompaniment of the extended soprano aria, tenderly sung by Carolyn Sampson. That contemplative tenderness is equally realised by James Gilchrist in his lyrical slumber song with recorders...these are enjoyably relaxed and unselfconscious performances.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 ****

“[The oratorio] for Ascension has always been popular, with its trumpet-dominated choruses and exquisite alto and soprano solos (Carolyn Sampson is outstanding here). The Easter Oratorio, with its strong narrative structure, has found less favour, but is so well done here as to quell all doubts about the libretto. Matthew Halls directs sprightly singers and accomplished players.” The Observer, 24th April 2011

“This is highly impressive playing, neat, well disciplined but exciting, and Matthew Halls drives it along at a brisk pace, bringing into this music all the life-affirming joy and optimism which is at the very heart of Easter...This is a disc to savour and enjoy, not just for the sublime music but for performances which possess an immaculate feeling for style and a wonderfully fresh and vital delivery of both words and music.” International Record Review, May 2011

“Given the attention to detail and forceful polemic of [Kuijken's] booklet notes, it comes as a huge - if not surprising - relief to find that the music-making itself is singularly free from pedantry and didacticism...each [singer] has eloquently expressive moments, while the playing of La Petite Bande steals the show.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2010 *****

“Nos. 108 and 86 especially are performed with the delectable rhetorical intimacy and expressive candour of Kuijken and La Petite Bande's best...The sorrowful No. 44...is crafted by La Petite Bande with meticulous attention to textual colouration...Bach at its most considered.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2010

“Ferrier, perhaps the finest British singer in the period following World War II, was a true contralto with technique and musicality that in the rarefied world of contraltos has never been surpassed” American Record Guide

“Spectacular trumpets (BWV 11) and rattling horns (BWV 138) - Bach, Koopman, and his thrilling Amsterdam forces all at their best evoke the triumph of the Ascension.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 *****

“Performances are stylish, graceful and very well sung and played.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2006 ***

“you won't be disappointed by the brilliance of the orchestral introduction and the crisp articulation of the opening chorus of the Easter Oratorio...The soloists are fresh-voiced and sing with unaffected simplicity, especially soprano Yukari Nonoshita as Mary the mother of James in the Easter Oratorio.” Andrew McGregor, bbc.co.uk, 15th April 2006