# JS Bach - Motets Recordings



## JSBach85 (Feb 18, 2017)

I've just arrived yesterday from holidays and cheking my JS Bach recordings I realized that I only have a recording of Motets, BWV 225-231:

Bach Motets / Philippe Herreweghe. La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent










Do you know about more recordings of these vocal works?


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

So nobody has answered after two months! I will start just in case you are still looking for recommendations:
- For completeness and high quality I would recommend the *Gardiner on Erato* and *Helmut Rilling on Hanssler*. Both of them excellent and both includes every little piece that can be thought of as a Bach motet. *Gardiner re-recorded some of them on his SDG label *a couple of years ago - I have not heard that one.
- *M. Suzuki on Bis* is a recent recording of extraordinary beauty - the Bwv 118 that rounds up the cd is one of the best choir music recordings I have ever heard.
- Another good recent recording is *Marcus Creed's on Harmonia Mundi
*- If you want to try a good old fashioned pre-hip recording with a HUGE choir try *Hans-Martin Schneidt on DGG/Archiv.*
Links:
Gardiner is out of print but you can buy used:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/J-S-Bach-Motets-225-231-Cantatas/dp/B000005E9X/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1507545424&sr=1-1&keywords=gardiner+bach+motets+erato
Rilling:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bach-Motets-Bachakademie-Vol-Rilling/dp/B000026C0W/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1507545518&sr=1-1&keywords=rilling+bach+motets
Schneidt is out of print - buy used here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/J-S-Bach-Motetten-Motets-BWV/dp/B00000E4BY/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1507545593&sr=1-2&keywords=schneidt+bach+motets


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm partial to Reinhard Kammler's recording, using a boy choir. Boys can be dodgy in their intonation, but they rise to the occasion here. My other favorite is Harnoncourt , using an adult choir. 

Personally, I would avoid Gardiner's first motet cycle. It was recorded in an overly resonant church, so he had to slow these pieces way down. The only reason I keep it around is for Jesus, Meines Lebens Leben, which is wonderful - peaceful, almost zenlike.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

The (first) Herreweghe, as shown above, is a very refined performance. Personally, I've always liked Ton Koopman's recording of the motets with the Nederlands Kamerkoor (originally issued by Philips), and also the Cantus Cölln/Konrad Junghänel (Harmonia Mundi). But there's a lot of good stuff to choose from, either performed a cappella/with basso continuo/with chamber ensemble. 
As often with Bach, the quality of the compositions brings out the best in most performers.


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