Bach: Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (Rifkin)
When Joshua Rifkin began recording Bach vocal works to demonstrate his one-singer-per-part thesis, he started not with the lightly scored early cantatas but rather with the Holy of Holies--the B-Minor Mass. (Don't accuse the man of starting small.) Predictably, outrage ensued: detractors far outnumbered supporters at the time (though this seems to be gradually changing). Musicology or not, Rifkin's approach works. Bach's florid vocal parts are far more negotiable for soloists than for chorus; period instruments never overwhelm the voices. Certainly the standard of baroque- instrument playing, particularly brass, has improved since 1980; but Rifkin's instrumentalists, especially woodwinds, are quite listenable. The standard of singing here is golden: Jeffrey Dooley's sweet-voiced eloquence and the blend, sense of line, and beautiful sound of Judith Nelson and Julianne Baird are priceless.--Matthew Westphal