Bach, J S - 6CD-BOX: Cantatas for Christmas - Gardiner, John Eliot
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
This box set features a cast of stellar soloists including Magdalena Kožená, Bernarda Fink, Michael Chance, James Gilchrist, Christoph Genz, etc. The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloist give their customary brilliant performances, making this release a must-have gift this Christmas season.
It includes some of Bach's best known cantatas, including the glorious Christen, atzet diesen Tag (CD1), the festive and brilliant Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (CD2) , the infectiously rhythmic Ich freue mich in dir (CD3), Gelobet seist du (CD1) and many other "jewels" which glow with that special sense of expectation that is the hallmark of Bach's Christmas music.
"Gardiner's 2000 Bach Pilgrimage volumes are very addictive. No studio renderings can match them for immediacy, and their revelations are many... the general eloquence is overwhelming... You feel you were there, and it's thrilling."
The Times
"One of the most ambitious musical projects of all times"
The Observer