the wonder is that in the circumstances the performance emerges so taut, dramatically focused, and exactingly crafted...singing off-score, his choir doesn’t so much relay the narrative as inhabit it...And once again he’s struck gold in his Evangelist.

I am reserving my highest praise for Gardiner, however, who conducts with real passion that is several notches better than his usual. A lifetime’s devotion to Bach has led to this point, where the arias, choruses, and chorales are shaped expressively. The pacing, by HIP standards, is often measured and thoughtful. There is even dynamic shading where the score indicates none.

Don’t expect polish at every corner as one would a studio recording; both the deliberate and undeliberate rough edges are part of possibly the most incandescently full-blooded interpretation to date.