Bach: Cantatas, Vol. 21

Most of the cantatas in this last issue of Bach’s complete cantatas were composed between 1730 and 1740. This volume contains—among others—the famous cantata "Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme" BWV 140, with the famous chorale "Zion hört die Wächter singen". Ton Koopman and his choir and orchestra continue to uphold a standard of tremendous vividness and joy in their immaculate performances of Bach’s most impressive opus. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, founded in 1979 by Koopman, are a group of musicians from all over the world with a particular passion for the Baroque. The Amsterdam Baroque Choir, founded in 1992, consists mainly of young Dutch professional singers. Born in Zwolle, Holland, in 1944, Ton Koopman decided very early in his musical studies to specialize in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, using authentic instruments combined with a performing style based on sound scholarship. Begun in 1994, this series was called "the recording project of the nineties" by The Guardian and was awarded Germany’s Deutsche Schallplattenpreis "Echo Klassik" in 1997. The series continues to feature the scholarly contributions of Professor Christoph Wolff, one of the world’s leading experts on the music of Bach. French soprano Sandrine Piau has quickly risen to the top of the Early Music vocal scene. Piau has collaborated with Philippe Herreweghe, William Christie, Christophe Rousset, Sigiswald Kuijken, Marc Minkowski, and, of course, Ton Koopman. Her recitals have received rave reviews. German bass-baritone Klaus Mertens is best known for his work with Early Music specialists and has been heard on more than 120 recordings. Includes an eighty-four-page booklet with extensive documentation and complete texts of the cantatas in German, English, and French.