that's a fantastic answer mcq, and confirms my feeling that Jacobs and Suzuki might be near the top of the tree...mcq wrote: Bach's Motets are one of the most perfect distillations of Bach's genius and are, in my view, the best entry point into the great man's vocal music. My favourite version is Rene Jacobs' recording on Harmonia Mundi. Jacobs is one of the great conductors of this repertoire and this is a highlight of his career, in my opinion. I'm also very fond of Konrad Junghanel's version on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. This version may, officially, be out of print, but it's still available on the Web. I've also heard great things about Masaaki Suzuki's recent version which I haven't yet heard, but, considering Suzuki's considerable achievement in his recording of the Cantatas and the Passions, can safely be purchased blind.
I think I'm a little way past the 'entry point' level, but it's quitye clear that the Motets have thus far been a gap in my knowledge, which needs to be filled, sooner rather than later...
meanwhile:
Fergus, you were asking about this disk my friend... so it's jumped the queue and I'm just finishing the first listen. Sound and performance quality, really top notch... the Dixit Dominus in particular is performed with tremendous verve and gusto... you'd love it.. ;-))