Oboe To Die For

There are several recorded cycles of the complete canatatas of J. S. Bach either in progress or just completed. Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent do not take a completist approach however and are only recording choice selections from the copious cantata output. This double cd box contains the Leipziger Weihnachtskantaten, the Christmas cantatas composed in Leipzig, BWV63, 91, 121 and 133, together with the Magnificat BWV243a. This is another case of me playing a Christmas disk outside the festive period since their is nothing inherently Christmassy in the music, apart from the generally upbeat . It is a gorgeous release, Herreweghe's approach suits my taste, historically informed without being fundamentalist about it. The playing is superb; beautiful woodwind, in particular the trademark Bachian oboe, immaculate strings and subtly understated organ. He has also assembled a fine cast of singers, including two personal favourites of mine, soprano Carolyn Sampson and tenor Mark Padmore. ut the other soloists are equally fine, Dorothee Blotzky-Mields, Ingeborg Danz, Peter Kooy and Sebastian Noack. I don't feel the need to have Bach cantata after cantata after cantata in my collection but I may be tempted to get at least one other in this particular series.