John Eliot Gardiner offers the perfect introduction to two of Bach"s most frequently recorded cantatas. The interpretations are spirited and insightful, the performances immaculate, and the clarity of the orchestral texture allows the inner details of Bach"s scoring to emerge with radiant effect. The solo vocalists in these 1990 accounts are stylish, the instrumental obbligatos beautifully polished. It is all captured in naturally balanced digital sound. --Ted Libbey