Emma Kirkby, Michael Chance, Charles Daniels, Peter Harvey, The Purcell Quartet - Bach: Early Cantatas, Vol. 1 (2005) [Hi-Res]

Lean and austere, yet deeply felt and profoundly spiritual, the first volume in Chandos' series of recordings of Bach's early Cantatas is a complete success. With one player and one singer per part, these are chamber music-scaled performances: it is quite lean and very austere. But that's fine: the musicians are all superb and the music benefits from their individual attention. Indeed, it gains immensely in intensity when a single musician is responsible for each part. Better yet, the music gains enormously in lyricism when those musicians are of the caliber performing here. The Purcell Quartet is arguably the best Baroque chamber ensemble in England and it is augmented here with equally fine additional players. The singers are all among the best in early music in England and soprano Emma Kirkby has long been among the finest in the world. Together, the singers and players create performances that are not only supremely musical but deeply felt and profoundly spiritual. The sheer terror of Christ lag in Todes Banden is unrelenting and the clear consolation of "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" is all-suffusing. Chandos' sound is righteous and immediate. ~ James Leonard