The Belgian group Vox Luminis, directed by the bass Lionel Meunier, is now acknowledged as belonging among the world’s elite vocal ensembles, especially for its interpretations of German Baroque sacred music. The group's program of Bach cantatas are among the composer’s earliest, having been written in 1707/1708. Notable among them is the poignant cantata ‘Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’ (God’s time is the best of all times) BWV 106, also known as the ‘Actus tragicus’, which was composed by the 22-year old composer for a funeral ceremony. ----- REVIEWS: There are many beautiful moments in this program of four early cantatas by Bach. The seriousness with which Lionel Meunier and Vox Luminis approach these works is evident, and the forces are ideal. – BBC Music Magazine Vox Luminis live up to their name with clear, soft textures redolent of 17th-century devotional rhetoric. The single voices and instruments constitute a remarkably crystalline landscape. Emotional restraint also offers some ear-pricking moments. – Gramophone
