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"Charles Daniels weaves his narration with beguiling eloquence ... (Tyler Duncan sings) with poised agility ..." - Gramophone "Four Stars ... a distinctive contribution to the Saint John Passions on disc." - BBC Music Magazine "... Daniels proves a communicative and consistently musical narrator ... in the choruses this is audibly a small choir rather than an augmented consort. The chorales are given a detail-heavy presentation, with run-ons, dynamics and articulations carefully worked out." - International Record Review "... what a gem it is. The highest compliment I can pay it ... is that one listens here to Bach, not to Huggett or a group of musicians and singers. In other words, what I hear is the score, flowing along with unfettered ease as well as dramatic emphasis; in so many places, I stopped and listened, carefully, to what was going on both on the surface as well as underneath and in the end I was both moved and deeply satisfied with what I heard ... both tenors are excellent, but Daniels gets high marks for interpreting the Evangelist’s lines without overdoing them. Hopkins, our intrepid Jesus, has a wonderful voice ... simply a superb reading of the score in every respect ... Huggett and her modestly rated Portland forces are as good as any (competing versions)." - Fanfare Monica Huggett has produced numerous popular and acclaimed recordings, notably the Grammy-nominated Bach Orchestral Suites, which made the top 10 of Billboard’s Traditional Classical chart. Restored to its original instrumentation here by Huggett and the period instrument Portland Baroque Orchestra, Bach's Saint John Passion features oboes rather than the flutes typically heard, as the score was produced during Bach's early years in Leipzig where flutes were unavailable to him. The performance also showcases tenor Charles Daniels as the Evangelist and the 12 voice choir Cappella Romana.