A greatest hits CD from the Monteverdi Choir? Yes and rather welcome it is, too. It's drawn from its Millennium Bach Cantata pilgrimage and we are treated to 14 of the great choruses, each a miniature masterpiece. From the dramatic opening "O ewiges Feuer" (BWV34), with its thrilling trumpets and drums, to the heartrendingly sorrowful "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagan" (BWV12), each is a perfectly polished gem. Give yourself an early Christmas present.

The Observer