Here are two very different approaches to Bach's motets. Sigiswald Kuijken directs performances with colla parte instrumental support, that is to say with instruments doubling each of the vocal strands, while Ton Koopman prefers the vocal strands a cappella with instruments providing only the basso continuo. Both choirs are made up of women sopranos and countertenors with the men's voices. Only one of the motets, Der Geist hilft, has surviving intrumental parts but this of course provides a source of conjecture where the remaining five are concerned. Did Bach use instruments in this way when performing motets and if so why have parts survived for only one of them? Or, on the other hand was the practice so widespread and accepted that he felt it unnecessary to specify or indeed even mention them? In fact Kuijken's instrumental group is so discreetly balanced in the recording that for much of the time the upper strings are almost inaudible. I did not feel that the voices, either, were particularly well served by the recording which, though pleasantly and appropriately resonant, allows for little in the way of detail. The sound is even-textured but vocal discipline is not always as strict as it should be. Nevertheless, one of the features of Kuijken's performances which I do like is his avoidance of obsessive overdirection. He allows the voices to speak naturally, eschews extremes of tempo and generates a refreshing spontaneity. Such an approach makes the listener feel present at a performance rather than witness to the sometimes dubious merit of endless retakes in the quest for technical perfection.
The Netherlands Chamber Choir sounds similar in size to the Choir of La Petite Bande and Koopman draws more crisply articulated performances from it than Kuijken with his ensemble. Koopman also achieves a wider dynamic range and clearer linear sound. Yet his performances, though in no sense dull or slothful fail to sparkle in the way that Kuijken's do. Koopman's forces sound more carefully drilled in details than the Belgian group but, on the other hand I often found myself revelling in Kuijken's affective phrasing. Choosing between the two is going to be difficult so the best thing I can do is to erect a few signposts. If you like linear clarity, a cappella vocal texture, even in Der Geist hilft, attention to small details and a firm, controlled performance then Koopman's version will be the more satisfying of the two; and his Komm, Jesu, Komm is superior to Kuijken's. If, on the other hand, you like your Bach painted more impressionistically on a broader canvas, with a variety of instrumental colour then Kuijken's disc may prove more congenial; his Singet dem Herren is an altogether more radiant affair than Koopman's somewhat sober performance. Both discs come with full texts in German and English.'