Several factors make the Bach recordings of conductor Christoph Spering, his Chorus Musicus Köln choir, and his Das Neue Orchester instrumental ensemble stand out from the large crowd of Bach instrumental recordings. One is the grouping by function: the idea of "praise cantatas" is novel and arguably preferable to random sets of cantatas or grouping by the liturgical calendar. More immediately audible is the very characteristic sound cultivated by Spering over the years but especially evident in Bach: he employs a choir of 20, good-sized by current standards, that produces a warm, burnished sound characteristic of regional German choirs, but combines it with historical instruments. The result is distinctive and has garnered plenty of fans in Germany, enabling Spering to attract a top-flight set of soloists led by soprano Dorothee Mields. Some will want the album for these alone, and when they join together in sharp contrast in duets like "Mein Freund ist mein," from the famed Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, the results are spectacular. Spering's choral forces also allow a stirring performance of the brass-adorned final chorale "Dein ist allein die Ehre," from the Cantata No. 41, Jesus, nun sei gepreiset, but there is not a dull moment here, and the choral blend and responsiveness to Spering's ideas speak of long familiarity and experience. Listeners looking for a middle ground between modern and historically oriented performance are directed to this release.