‘This St John Passion brings to the fore the traits of style and taste that are distinguished hallmarks of Layton and the forces he gathers around him … Ian Bostridge is the tenor Evangelist, eloquent, pure of tone, fluent and strong in communicating the import of the German narrative. Neal Davies is a Christus of tender authority. The choir sings with a well-rounded sound, firm accents and with diction that brings the text crisply to life: the spitting out of the word nicht in the passage where the crowd asserts that it has delivered Jesus up to Pilate because he is a malefactor is just one example of how attentive this performance is to the colouring of words. It has been said that the St John Passion has affinities with Baroque opera in its almost theatrical evocation of time and place. Layton … harnesses the dramatic thrust of the Passion while also conveying its sacred, spiritual substance’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘There's no doubting the choir's passion and poise, whether as a baying mob … or in the expressively balanced unaccompanied chorale verses … Layton's pacing is compelling … it's crowned by Iestyn Davies's sublime account of 'Es ist vollbracht', his pure alto wrapped around the obbligato pathos of Richard Tunnicliffe's viola da gamba. Both Carolyn Sampson's arias are priceless’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Stephen Layton's outstanding new St John is about as state-of-the-art a Bach Passion recording as you'll hear … Ian Bostridge is the master story-teller who surveys all about him, impeccably delivering every nuance of every word … alongside the top-class and pliable choral singing of Polyphony comes the roll call of impressive soloists … the noble Christ of Neal Davies and the deeply felt singing of Roderick Williams complement the kaleidoscope of vocal expression here with their capacity for reflective commentary, as does Iestyn Davies in a treasurable Es ist vollbracht’ (Gramophone)

'This is a musical and coherent performance, as you would expect from a group who have played together a good bit, made distinguished by some fine singing by many of the singers and lovely playing especially by the strings' (Early Music Review)» More

‘The Canadian crowns her integral survey of Bach’s non-organ works with this magisterial trajectory of his (unfinished) musical will and testament’ (The Sunday Times | 100 Best Records of the Year)

‘Absolutely superb. Certainly I can think of no finer recording of this endlessly fascinating masterpiece, whatever the medium. Highly recommended’ (CDReview)

‘The remarkable Tatiana Nikolayeva … uncovers Bach's revelations as if they were her own’ (The Independent)

‘These are … meticulously prepared accounts of a highly personal and reverent nature. Listeners will immediately warm to Isserlis’s genial way with the First Suite and the solemn majesty applied to the Third. And while Isserlis may have the sub-text, the suites work with or without that in mind. Steven Isserlis knows the detailed history of these suites, both in performance and in composition, and applies his years of research and familiarity without omission to disc. The project has clearly been a labour of love and comes across that way—a set of recordings made from compulsion, not duty’ (Classical Source)

‘Staying true to the Baroque ideal of free instrumental expression, he stamps his own unconventional wisdom on these almost three-centuries-old standards. No two interpreters will ever agree on the Allemande in Suite No 2 … Isserlis, for his part, cuts loose with a rollicking, stylized jig that puts to bed the prior brooding Prelude. He teases out the individual personalities in each of the dances and trumpets them, molding each suite into a fuller, organic whole. Isserlis impeccably controls his slow movements, and his focused, restrained use of vibrato is perfectly in character’ (Time Out Chicago)

‘Steven Isserlis achieves the ideal synthesis between the old-fashioned approach to Bach's solo pieces and newer, supposedly more authentic notions. Listening to Mr. Isserlis, you may find yourself enjoying these six works more than you ever have before. His rhythmic élan is downright infectious, and he finds the heart of the music without getting maudlin. A clear first choice for these much-recorded suites’ (The Dallas Morning News)

‘This landmark recording combines bravura technique with scholartly research to produce a new interpretation … pushing each rhythmic possiblity to the limit but never sacrificing grace, charm and elegance’ (The Observer)

‘These are the cellist's Everest, and Isserlis has waited a long time to commit them to disc: his superb interpretations now put him in that great line of cellists that stretches back to Casals’ (The Independent)