Bach for Japan – review

Sure in the knowledge that Bach's music has offered hope and consolation to countless people over the centuries, this disc is being sold to raise money for the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year. Masaaki Suzuki has selected cantata arias, organ chorales and sinfonias (all from previous recordings) in a sensitive programme that ranges from the fearful to the ecstatic, all aimed at bringing comfort and strength to the bereaved, culminating in a peerlessly sung performance of the motet Komm, Jesu, Komm - that great universal statement of love and compassion.