Album: John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir Bach Cantatas for Christmas (Soli Deo Gloria)

The Bach Cantata Pilgrimage undertaken in 2000 by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir, performing all of Bach's cantatas on the appropriate days in churches across Europe and America, is one of the great musical achievements of recent times.

This budget-priced 6CD box of the Christmas cantatas offers the most cost-effective route into the colossal and addictive series. It's thrilling stuff, the Monteverdi Choir bringing a palpable dedication to their work, and the English Baroque Soloists providing period accompaniment, each performance imbued with the acoustic character of the location. Highlights abound, including the pulsing "Ich Freue Mich in Dir" and "Singet dem Herrn ein Neues Lied".

Download: Singet dem Herrn ein Neues Lied; Ich Freue Mich in Dir