The works of Johann Sebastian Bach have always been a point of fascination for the Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström (*1942), and they have inspired him to write his own music. In addition to writing a St Matthew Passion on the basis of the libretto by Picander, the Scandinavian composer also grappled with the texts employed by the great cantor at St Thomas in his motets. This inspiration generated stunning works that reveal their beauty particularly through their artistic juxtaposition, as exemplified on the present CD: âJesu, meine Freudeâ, âSinget dem Herrn ein neues Liedâ, and âFürchte Dich nicht, ich bin bei dirâ by Bach, and Sandströmâs âDer Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit aufâ, âKomm, Jesu, kommâ, and âLobet den Herrn alle Heidenâ. Under the baton of its director Stephan Doormann, the Kammerchor Hannover delves deep into these ingeniously designed works: Baroque elegance and craftsmanship in Bachâs pieces, enrapturing clusters and complex rhythms which demand the highest sensitivity of the vocalists in Sandströmâs compositions. The plasticity with which the well-known texts are clothed in new sounds is stunning. Indeed, Bach himself was a composer of contemporary music in his day â and a visionary who transcended far beyond the things fashionable at the time. Indeed, Stephan Doormannâs comment on Bachâs motets holds similarly true for both composers: âcraftsmanship and emotion can be experienced afresh time and again in his works: I am awestruck every time, and enjoy the piecesâ diverse layers. One can never fully know this music.â