J.S.BACH: Motets

"This recording is the result of many years of rewarding collaboration between Maria Lindal's REbaroque ensemble and the St Jacobs Chamber Choir. Together we have performed several works of Bach, Handel, Mozart and Haydn in the s:t Jacobs church. For our first joint recording we have chosen to perform all of bach's motets; a collection of strikingly dance-like, varied and virtuosic works for choir and instrumental ensemble. Our first shared encounter with these seminal works of the choral repertoire was a profound experience and now, ten years later, we have renewed our acquaintance with this great music. We found in these works, in which instruments and voices share the same parts, the optimal fusion of voice, words, articulation, song, instrument, timbre and colour. With every tone, the instrumentalists perform a text- a vowel, a consonant, a poem - while the singers articulate every line of the text in unison with their instrumental partners. The works provided us with a material for study and, ultimately, led to a satisfying union of choir and orchestra, voices and instruments. With the motets as a foundation we look forward to our continued collaboration and future recordings with St Jacobs Chamber Choir and REbaroque".