To launch Philippe Herreweghe’s birthday year, we turn the spotlight once more on one of his most accomplished recordings: Bach’s Motets BWV 225-230. Recorded in 2011 in the splendid acoustics of the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin, this interpretation is accompanied by period instruments and is the result of intense reflection concerning the performing forces: Philippe Herreweghe sometimes uses a small number of singers per part, sometimes a larger group, according to the needs of the motet in question. He sees these pieces in terms of continuous research, in which ‘several approaches are possible and even necessary if one wishes to make this marvellous music sound its best, and especially for a recording’.

For the greater pleasure of the eyes and ears of turntable lovers, these masterpieces by the Kantor of Leipzig now appear in a novel incarnation, subtly combining the label’s new and modern graphic line with the timeless style of the vinyl format.