ArtHaus Musik appears to have a winning formula in conveying the essence of musicians at work as they rehearse for a big concert or recording. Here‚ we are in the initial throes of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s millennial ‘Bach Cantata Pilgrimage’. It is Christmas 1999‚ and the rehearsal of one of Bach’s greatest Yuletide cantatas is not the only seasonal clue; Abbey Road is dripping with tinsel and Sir John Eliot is in exceptionally good spirits. Christen‚ ätzet diesen Tag‚ written in Weimar‚ seems ideally suited to Gardiner as it fairly fizzes with energy and excitement‚ each framing chorus demanding discipline and rigour as no one is spared Bach’s testing filigree. We can observe first­hand just why Gardiner has got such exceptional results over the past two decades: he says exactly what he wants and knows exactly how to achieve it. Whether his manner of musical preparation leads consistently to heavenly manna in the more mercurial and elusive movements in Bach’s vocal oeuvre is less certain‚ but there can be no doubting the efficacy of his approach here‚ as those who know the fine DG recording to which these sessions were leading (12/00) can attest. The effect of ArtHaus’s ‘fly on the wall’ approach is rather more nobly conceived than some recent classical music documentaries: there is a genuine desire to communicate the essence of corporate musical discovery‚ as the cameras roll from the conductor stuck in traffic – admitting slight nerves as he embarks on a difficult work – to the heart­on­sleeve psychological exposé by a choir member of what working with Sir John Eliot Gardiner really means (‘be yourself as well as you can…if you let yourself down‚ you let him down’‚ etc). The key to success lies in the co­operation of the conductor‚ as is also confirmed in ArtHaus’s excellent DVD of Christoph von Dohnányi and the Philharmonia rehearsing Haydn’s Symphony No 88 (10/02). Gardiner has an unbridled and infectious enthusiasm for the Bach work‚ as he searches for ways to articulate the effect of the music. This can lead to both bland platitude (far too much use of the word ‘ecstasy’) and some deft observations on Bach’s motivation and how his orchestra can‚ with their ‘period’ instruments‚ deliver the effervescent euphoria of Bach’s resplendently scored set­pieces. There is perhaps too little uninterrupted music but as the programme unfolds‚ the wonderful accompanied recitative‚ ‘O sel’ger Tag!’‚ with Sara Mingardo‚ is given in full and there is a brilliant account of the majority of the last chorus (‘Scherzo Romp’ as Gardiner aptly calls it in a Percy Grainger­ish aside). Another very persuasive production from ArtHaus.