Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki; Yukari Nonoshita, soprano; Robin Blaze, counter-tenor; Makoto Sakurada, tenor; Peter Kooij, bass

• Although Bach did not compose many cantatas during the year 1725, the four cantatas that he did compose are far from being routine affairs. Lobe den Herren (Praise to the Lord), BWV 137, is a case in point: in it Bach includes the original text of the famous hymn, and also uses the familiar melody in all five movements to a greater or lesser degree. To impose such limitations must have been a challenge to himself as a composer, and the imagination and technical skill with which he fulfilled his task are striking.