The ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria under the direction of the violinist Gunar Letzbor devote this double CD to J S Bach's instrumental and vocal works, with reissued recordings originating from 1995 and 1996.

CD 1 features the two Violin Concertos BWV1041 and 1042, with Letzbor as soloist, and the Double Violin concerto, in which Daniel Sepec takes on the equal role of second soloist. These works are augmented by Brandenburg Concerto No.4, in which the concertino group includes not only solo violin but also two recorders, performed with great virtuosity and sinuous tone by Kees Boeke and Michael Oman.

Bach’s arrangement of the Pergolesi 'Stabat Mater' known as Psalm 51 is seldom performed. Bach replaced Pergolesi’s text of the 'Stabat Mater' with the Lutheran translation of Psalm 51 and undertook a number of alterations to both vocal and instrumental parts. Bach attached great importance to the exact musical illustration of individual words of the text, producing an orchestral score with greater complexity and more heightened contrasts than the original Pergolesi.

The special feature of this recording is the assignment of the St Florianer Sängerknaben boys’ choir from which the excellent soloists have also been recruited. The CD also includes 'Himmelskönig, sei willkommen' in which the male vocal parts are sung by the Kepler Consort.