Bach Motets
Cantus Cölln is the first group to record these six motets  one-voice-per-part, and the approach pays off nicely. These pieces are difficult  rhetorically as well as musically; a small group of singers can be more flexible  and subtle than even a skilled chorus. Konrad Junghänel takes the joyful double-choir motetsSinget dem HerrnandDer Geist hilftat a joyfully  quick tempo, yet the music never turns to mush, no matter how dense the writing  gets. Conversely, he captures the somber mood ofKomm, Jesu, kommand the  funeral motetJesu, meine Freudewithout ever sounding ponderous. (While  this is an exemplary performance, those who want an actual choir should tryPhilippe Herreweghe and his luminous Collegium Vocaleon Harmonia Mundi.)--Matthew Westphal