Choir of King's David Willcocks - Bach: Cantata No 147; The Six Motets; Chorales & Chorale Preludes for Advent and Christmas (2004)

In recent years, single-composer programs have become popular on stage and disc, but this may not always be the best way to listen to music, no matter how beautiful. This 2-CD set presents a mix of Bach's vocal and instrumental works, carefully selected for contrast and variety of character, mood, and texture. It includes 12 chorales followed by their chorale preludes, offering the opportunity to hear how Bach turned the simple melodies, sung in harmony a capella or in unison with organ accompaniment, into extremely elaborate, complex contrapuntal pieces for two organs. Indeed the first one is so convoluted that it sounds like two different pieces being played simultaneously. The reverberant acoustics of King's College Chapel, where the set was recorded, may contribute to this effect. The six Motets (like the six Brandenburg Concertos), were not meant to be performed as a group, but composed for very different occasions. Written for multiple-part choruses, they vary greatly in tempo, articulation, complexity and expression, and are overwhelmingly beautiful. The Cantata features four great vocal soloists: soprano Elly Ameling soars up high with the joyful ease of a bird, mezzo-soprano Janet Baker sounds warm and caressing; tenor Ian Partridge is wonderfully mellow and lyrical, and bass John Shirley-Quirk injects a dramatic element into the music. The principal string and winds players of the orchestra are splendid; the opening trumpet fanfare sets a bright, triumphant mood. The chorus is excellent, though the echo sometimes obscures the counterpoint, and the sopranos can be a bit shrill. The Motets, on CD 2, sound best. Unfortunately, the booklet does not include the texts, and instead refers listeners to the label's website, which may not be convenient to everyone and feels like an intrusion of modern technology into a more humanistic age. --Edith Eisler