Gordon Safari presents a new collection of festive cantatas and motets by Johann Sebastian Bach for his ensemble of instrumental and vocal soloists recorded in the authentic setting of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

BachWerkVokal is critically acclaimed as one of the most exciting new ensembles in the field of historical performance practice. The high quality of MDG's 2+2+2 recording technique reproduces the rich acoustics of Bach's original church, up into the heights of the vaulted ceiling.

The extremely virtuoso cantata "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51" ("Shout for joy to God in every land") is celebrated for its exhilarating coloratura runs for soprano and trumpet. The core of the cantata makes room for heartfelt prayer with languid, melancholic lines. The end of the chorale erupts in a cascade of "Allelujas" and the soprano reaches the only "high C" in all of Bach's oeuvre.

Bach's mastery of conveying the meaning of the text in music is particularly striking in both motets "Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden, BWV 230" ("Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles") and "Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt!, BWV Anh. 160" ("All the earth rejoice in the Lord"). The poetry of Psalm 117 is modelled in sound, for example, held notes symbolise eternity ("Ewigkeit") and the fast-paced, joyful "Alleluia" virtually invites the listener to join in the festive cheer.

Bach wrote the cantata "Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 69a" ("Praise the Lord, my soul") during his first summer as Leipzig's Thomaskantor.

Gordon Safari's powerful interpretation gets to the heart of the theological content of these masterpieces. BachWerkVokal deliver a beguilingly beautiful performance with great clarity of diction and dazzling articulation.

"...a model for every ambitious choir with its clever programme concepts and successful recording techniques." - Klassik Heute