Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix/Bach, Johann Sebastian: Magnificats (Naxos Audio CD)

• J.S. Bach’s famous Magnificat and that of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel were the templates for the teenage Mendelssohn’s first major work for soloists, chorus and full orchestra, a brilliant setting of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s song of praise.

• Composed in 1822, it is floridly Baroque in conception and similar in scale to the Bach settings.

• His Ave Maria of 1830 again evokes Baroque splendour, but also points towards his later oratorios, Paulus and Elijah.

“Simon Carrington….draw[s] fantastic performances from the singers and players respectively.”
Early Music Review on a previous release featuring the Yale Schola Cantorum and Yale Collegium Players