If you cannot imagine what Bach's five great motets would sound like as chamber music, this disc by
La Petite Bande will provide an answer: they sound fabulous. With eight singers, five string players, and four wind players plus continuo,
La Petite Bande's performances sound absolutely clear -- even in the densest textures, every line is ideally balanced -- incredibly colorful -- the combinations of voices, strings, winds, and organ seem endlessly subtle -- and, best of all, unbelievably expressive. Everyone's a soloist and every line is a melody, thereby making Bach's music seem more personal and intimate than usual. Of course, part of the reason for this is that most recordings of the motets, whether a cappella or accompanied, are arguably too big and heavy. With four or more singers on a part, this kind of weightiness is virtually inevitable -- but with two singers to a part, the performances can be as expressive as the music director will allow. And with music director Sigiswald Kuijken also being the first violinist, the performances are supremely expressive. One of the great period-instrument violinists and conductors, Kuijken's leadership here appears to consist of being first among equals and the result is surely as fine a set of performances of the motets as has ever been released. Challenge Classics' 2003 recording is vivid and immediate.