Every Bach lover, whether period-instrument fan or not, should own Karl Richter’s recordings of Bach’s great choral works. Failing that, this CD of excerpts will do well as a start. Tempos are broad and instrumentation and choral forces are large, but you never feel bogged down (well, the opening chorus of the St. Matthew Passion is a bit too heavy at 9:46). There is just the right combination of piety and theatricality throughout and the soloists are superb: Irmgard Seefried’s aria from the St. Matthew is divine; the under-appreciated Hertha Töpper sings the Mass’ “Agnus Dei” and St. Matthew’s “Erbarme dich” with great dignity; Ernst Haefliger’s well-focused tenor does justice to his two selections; and Fischer-Dieskau remains supreme in “Et in spiritum sanctum” from the Mass. The chorus is precise and warm, and the orchestra is splendid, with those high trumpets ablaze in the Mass’ “Gloria” and the opening chorus from the Christmas Oratorio (which, by the way, is only a half-minute longer than Herreweghe’s very “authentic” reading). This is glorious music making, at any speed.
