Search - Bach, Jacobs :: Motets

This is my current favorite of the many available recordings of Bach's wonderful motets. René Jacobs elicits superb, color-drenched singing from the excellent RIAS Kammerchor, and his interpretive choices make the six motets cogently dramatic and musically coherent. The sonorous singing is radiant, with remarkably fluid phrasing and precise articulation. Jacobs brings variety to the works through discreet use of a period orchestra with organ-led continuo and by varying the size of his chorus and assigning some sections to soloists. The rhetorical nature of the works is preserved without stinting on their expressiveness or intimacy. These effects are aided by excellent sound. Highly recommended. --Dan Davis