Bach: Mass In B Minor, Bwv 232

Katherine Watson (soprano), Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano), Iestyn Davies (countertenor), Gwilym Bowen (tenor), Neal Davies (bass) & Trinity College Choir Cambridge, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Stephen Layton

Following much-praised accounts of the St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Stephen Layton now turns to the B minor Mass. With Trinity College Cambridge forces and a fine roster of soloists, the results are guaranteed to prove equally spectacular.

"[Iestyn Davies] discharges a beautifully inflected ‘Qui sedes’, impeccably warmed and coloured by a discreet vibrato that instinctively knows its expressive place…Watson’s soaring soprano also strikes up an alluring partnership with Iestyn Davies for the ‘Et in unum Deum’… One of the challenges for any conductor is marrying the Mass’s old-fashioned elements while forging a coherent whole. Layton is on the case."

"[Iestyn Davies] discharges a beautifully inflected ‘Qui sedes’, impeccably warmed and coloured by a discreet vibrato that instinctively knows its expressive place…Watson’s soaring soprano also strikes up an alluring partnership with Iestyn Davies for the ‘Et in unum Deum’… One of the challenges for any conductor is marrying the Mass’s old-fashioned elements while forging a coherent whole. Layton is on the case."
BBC Music Magazine - May 2018 ****

"Tempi are free of eccentricity; his youthful choral forces are beautifully focused, incisive in attack, and understand the importance of phrasing in this music. They are evidently relishing every note as they discover Bach’s supreme masterpiece under Layton’s expert guidance. The soloists are uniformly excellent, with Iestyn Davies truly exceptional in his two solo contributions, the Qui sedes and Agnus Dei. First-rate playing from the OAE, too. A B minor Mass to treasure."
Choir & Organ - May 2018 *****

"Recorded in [Trinity's] own handsome chapel, it has brightness, clarity and the kind of clean air about it that you expect from a young mixed-voice choir…it is Iestyn Davies who serves up this recording’s jewel in his first recorded Agnus Dei, a masterclass in technique, vocal beauty and moving musicality that it is hard to imagine surpassed."
Gramophone Magazine - March 2018