J.S. BACH
St. John Passion
Gerd Türk
Stephan MacLeod
Caroline Stam
Peter de Groot
Charles Daniels
Bas Ramselaar
The Netherlands Bach Society
Jos vanVeldhoven
Wrapped in swaddling velvet, Jos van Veldhoven’s new reading of the six cantatas Bach assembled as an “oratorio” is a magnificent visual and tactile presentation box, especially with its sumptuous images and reproductions of Yuletide scenes by Dutch Masters. Often in such cases the anticlimax follows, but not here. Veldhoven’s strength is less a matter of extreme expressive range but a palpably infectious energy, evident humility and a deep affection for the music which gives this recording a place in the face of stiff competition.
Gramophone
Channel Classics SACD CCSSA22005