“It's a long time since we've heard from this US ensemble, so Myths Contested is a welcome return. Starting as they mean to go on...with much abandon”

Michael Beek, BBC Music Magazine

"I do not think I have ever heard a better performance of one of the cantatas.”

“This is the first Washington Bach Consort album for quite a few years… I look forward to more recordings as I thoroughly recommend this one.

John L. Speller, The Diapason

“This album offers some of the most delightful music I’ve heard in a long time. The exquisite performances are simply a joy to hear. All the more for fans of choral singing, vocal solos, high Baroque and/or new music. Yet the concept is also compelling: what makes for good music; what makes a meaningful message? Sensitive direction from conductor Dana Marsh keeps the ensemble cohesive, with incisive instruments complementing the sung text. A big tip of the hat to Weston; Bach is a tough act to follow, but he pulls it off masterfully. So we have here both a fine, fun old cantata that deserves repeated hearing and a wonderful, substantial addition to the vocal repertoire.”

Christopher Hoh, Living Church

“The glorious, trumpets-accented music in the regal intro sets a dazzling stage. The harpsichord-supported exchanges in the recitatives prove as riveting as the arias, with the soaring opening expression by Panthaki (Momus) establishing a dauntingly high bar for those after.

Weston's A New Song...shows itself to be a worthy companion to the Bach cantata. Coupling old with new, as the Washington Bach Consort has so deftly done here, makes for a splendid recording that invites repeat visits.”

Ron Schepper, textura

“There is an expansiveness to [Weston's] writing which is redolent of Copland in Appalachian mode, or even someone like Virgil Thomson, and only the occasion nod towards Bach.

Paul Max Tipton is delightfully lugubrious in “Mit Verlangen” while Ian Pomerantz duly dances and springs in “Zu Tanze, zu Sprunge”...the bustling élan of the final chorus, with its punctuating trumpets and tutti voices...”

Bernard Hughes, TheArtsDesk

“The Washington Bach Consort manages Bach’s contrapuntal intricacies masterfully, and the orchestra shines in the opening movement, particularly through the virtuosic writing for wind instruments… Weston’s A New Song is fascinating, a modern “cantata” for choir and Baroque orchestra that adheres to certain stylistic conventions while defying others...the musical vernacular is strikingly different than anything Bach ever wrote, resulting in a listening experience that is simultaneously familiar yet new.”

Matthew Whitfield, theWholeNote

“it is the introspection and eloquence here delivered by tenor Jacob Perry, Jr., a standout in this cantata’s performance, that for me takes the prize…Thanks go to the Washington Bach Consort for bringing [Weston's] stirring new song to life.”

Jeffrey Baxter, Early Music America

“a smooth but lively performance with strong soloists...Another attraction here is the presence of Trevor Weston's A New Song, a contemporary cantata...This release...has an X factor in its favor; the Bach is rare enough on its own, and the listener is likely to feel the album is entirely original.”

James Manheim, All Music Guide

“The excellent period-instrument performance by the Washington Bach Consort thoroughly captures the colors and clever conceptual elements of the work, from the celebratory, fanfare-packed opening chorus through the recitatives that carry the story along and the arias that allow each character to present viewpoints and arguments.”

INFODAD/TRANSCENTURY

“Performed with care and authentic brio by the Washington Bach Consort...also contains a remarkable modern work by Trevor Weston... I find this music everything I might expect, authenticity, beautifully written music, a rare gem from Bach and some nicely turned modernity from Weston, to which I say bravo, bravo, bravo.”

Grego Applegate Edwards, classicalmodernmusic

“Weston set about writing a cantata that conveys a new debate about the ‘societal expectations we have for new art in the 21st Century’. The results are delightful.

Peter V Loewen, American Record Guide