Johan Sebastian Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243, Cantata, BWV 21, Motet, BWV 225

Conductor Diego Fasolis has made some surprising choices in his reading of Bach s Magnificat: he uses his chorus rather than soloists in the trio Suscepit Israel and the duet Et misericordia, conversely, he has his soloists rather than his choir sing the Gloria in the Gloria Patria. Unusual, to be sure, but Fasolis and his musicians make them sound plausible on their own terms in an energetic, often exciting performance. The choices made in the remaining works on this CD aren t so unconventional, but they make involving listening in any case. The performers cover convincingly the wide range of emotions in the cantata Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, the reading of the motet Singet dem Herrn is both joyous and sweet. This is an excellent midprice rendition of some great Bach choral music. --Matthew Westphal