Composed for Christmas 1723, when Bach had just taken up his new post as Leipzig Cantor, the Magnificat is a jubilant work, one of those in which the deep joy, confidence and humility of faith are most clearly expressed.

Overwhelmed from beginning to end by the breath of joy and radiating an infectious optimism, it has never ceased to captivate the listener for three centuries by the variety of its writing and the brilliance of its instrumental colour.

This recording includes an excellent selection from Beethoven’s many settings of Irish folksongs, with imaginative new arrangements of his accompaniments, rescored for more traditional instruments than the original piano, violin and cello.

His settings are interspersed with more conventional versions of Irish and Scottish folk tunes taken from other sources. These help to highlight his remarkable ingenuity, which preserves the original character of the folksongs while elevating them to a much higher level of interest.

Dès le XVIe siècle, la viole de gambe est considérée comme l’instrument le plus parfait, se rapprochant au mieux de la voix humaine.

Les auteurs louent sa sonorité douce, ses coups d’archet mourants, son ton d’ambassadeur... des qualités qui en font, par excellence, l’instrument de la confidence et sans aucun doute propice à élever la spiritualité.