Bach: Christmas Oratorio (UK)

I can only assume Mr Oates knows little about Bach or his works, or he was watching another DVD! I`ve always viewed Sir John Eliot Gardiner`s audio recording of the Christmas Oratorio on the Archiv label to be the best in its field but this performance is all the better for seeing it `as live` and seeing the musicians perform, and I consider it to be an even better all round performance than the aforementioned Archiv recording, accepting that there is the odd minor `blip` which goes with the territory of live performance. The documentaries could have been longer and more detailed but the main point of this DVD is the performance of the Oratorio itself and it excels in that department. As for the camera views? So what? What do you want to see, Mr Oates? Sweeping close ups of each performer? Action replays??? The cameras do what they have to do. Save the flashy stuff for sports DVDs or `extras` of the Harry Potter films! The sound is magnificent, due largely to the sublime acoustic of the Herdekirche. An absolute must for Bach aficionados and baroque music fans alike

Dave Payn