Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent revisit the festival of Christmas as it was celebrated in Leipzig under the direction of Bach himself. A highlight of the programme is the original version of the celebrated 'Magnificat' with four extra movements . . .

"Philippe Herreweghe coaxes gorgeously pure tones from his famously accomplished chorus in the Magnificat and the four Christmas cantatas written for Leipzig. Nor are his soloists any less inspiring." - Andrew Clarke, The Independent, 18-24 October 2003

“an outstanding collection of performances to celebrate a Bach Christmas” - Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone, December 2003, Editor’s Choice

“A magnificent achievement all round. This is what I call celebrating Christmas. Highly, highly recommended.” - Simon Heighes, International Record Review, December 2003

"Mark Padmore is just about the finest Bach tenor in the business today, while both sopranos delight with their pure tone and graceful phrasing." - Richard Wigmore, The Daily Telegraph, 22 November 2003

“I can’t fault either the choruses or the superb soloists but the real selling point for me is the characterful sound of the period wind and brass instruments, which set the vocal performances off a treat.” - Clare Stevens, CD Review, 29 November 2003