Bach, J S: Cantata BWV87 'Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen'

“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

“The second Sie werden (BWV183) is the pick of the crop… From the most theatrical of openings, the committed Paul Agnew navigates his way expertly through one of Bach's most extended and contemplative testaments of faith, "Ich fürchte nicht".” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008

“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

“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

“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 ****

“The special colour of BWV 87 is of oboes, three embedded in the strings accompanying the first bass aria and two, tenor oboes da caccia, with countertenor solo in a poignant plea for forgiveness - Blaze at his tender best and instruments phrasing with great artistry. This splendid disc ends with the full works in BWV 74, trumpets and drums in a blaze of surround-sound Whitsuntide exuberance and some astonishingly vivid description of rattling hellish fetters and ironic laughter - Suzuki matching Bachin irrepressible energy.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2007 ****

“Again, here is a volume full of Bachian gems, of most of which the Bach Collegium Japan have the measure. The gloriously liberated imagery of BWV74 - as we battle with Satan - finds Suzuki, and in particular the fully armoured Blaze, in the most telling form.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2007

“Compelling performances – the sheer polish and technical accomplishment of the music-making immediately hold the ear, and are reinforced by subtle phrasing and a quality of listening among all concerned that allows Bach’s counterpoint to progress with lightness and jaw-dropping clarity.” Classic FM Magazine

“Remarkable” Penguin Guide