This month we again return to John Eliot Gardiner and the EBS. Though it might appear to some that I have particular leanings towards this group, it is not necessarily so. Some things they do very well, though, and this month's selection is a shining example.

Bach wrote several passions, though only St. Matthew and St. John survive. (A Passion according to St. Mark was attempted to be reconstructed; it's not very interesting). The St. Matthew Passion was justifiably a favorite of Bach and his family. In this excerpt we can hear how powerful a small group like the EBS can be. The opening double chorus - one of Bach's most inspired gems - never fails to send chills down the spine. Absolutely divine.