Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Harry Christophers :: Vivaldi: Gloria in D major; Bach: Magnificat in D major

"The music is superb, and it's given a superb performance here." - GRAMOPHONE A joyful choral Christmas classic, Bach's Magnificat takes its text (in Latin) from the story of the angel's revelation to Mary that she will bear the Savior, and her poetic response, "My soul shall magnify the Lord". The Gloria in D is the most famous of Vivaldi's choral works, and justly so. The celebrated opening bars are among the most joyfully triumphant in Baroque music. To date The Sixteen and The Symphony of Harmony and Invention have made over ninety recordings, many award-winning, in a range of work spanning the music of 600 years, rediscovering and performing lost and little-known repertoire as well as recording the standard choral repertoire as here. After twenty-seven years of worldwide performance, The Sixteen is recognized as one of the world's greatest vocal ensembles with a special reputation for clarity and beauty with precision and dramatic intensity. Repertoire includes early European polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance and Baroque, and the choral highlights of the twentieth century, reflecting the passions of conductor and founder Harry Christophers. The Sixteen are "the voices of Classic FM" in the UK and from the 2006/7 season will become Associate Ensemble at the South Bank Centre, London. Polished singing and playing from soloists, The Sixteen and The Symphony of Harmony and Invention make this disc a must for all music lovers.