(4 out of 5 stars) This pair of discs contains Bach s 4 surviving cantatas for New Year s Day plus the 2 that we have from him for the Sunday after, which in the year 2000 fell on the very next day. Those already familiar with the series will have an idea what to expect. They will find sound and erudite style in the direction, they will find singing that is assured, affectionate and beautiful from both soloists and chorus, they will find immaculate instrumental work using period instruments and they will find the standard of the recording to be high.
Also as usual Gardiner contributes one of his deep and illuminating essays on the works offered in the set. Occasionally in other volumes what he says puzzles me, but this time he puzzles me for an unexpected reason. Gardiner expresses particular admiration for the opening chorus and the aria Woferne in BWV 41, and for some reason these are the precise places where I still, after four or five hearings, feel slightly disappointed. Co