Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Tom Hammond-Davies' original plan for the Oxford Bach Soloists was to work their way through the complete vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) in the order in which he wrote them and, so far as practical, performing them in the original venues or at least locations with a similar atmosphere and acoustic. So not an overnight project then. Of course, JSB could not have imagined any of his music being recorded other than being written and perhaps even printed in a musical score and we can only imagine what he would have done had he been let loose in a recording studio. Anyway, this CD/download is the OBS's first recording and, please God, it will not be the last. Featuring two core soloists, Nick Pritchard (tenor) and Yu-Wei Hu (flute), this album presents three of Bach's Cantatas. One is possibly his earliest vocal work, 'Christ lag in Todesbanden' ('Christ Lay In Death's Bonds' BWV 4), written for Easter Sunday in April 1707; his only extant tenor cantata, 'Ich armer Mensch' ('I Poor Man' BWV 55) from 1726; and the much-beloved cantata, 'Ich habe genug' ('I am satisfied' BWV 82.2), performed here in its arrangement for high voice and flute. Choir, orchestra and soloists all excel, making this a worthwhile addition to any collection of Bach's vocal music. As the first in what we sincerely hope will become an on-going series it sets a high standard and makes us impatient for the next release.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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