When Bach's patron, the 34-year-old Prince Leopold of Cöthen, suddenly died in 1728, it was Bach's duty to write the funeral music. Bach went to long-time collaborator, poet Christian Friedrich Henrici (better know by his pen-name Picander) for a text. We have no idea what the finished music was like since it was lost like so many of Bach's Cöthen works. Ultimately, all that's left of the funeral music is Picander's text. But musicologists realized that much of Picander's text followed metrical and rhetorical patterns of arias and choruses from works that Bach had already penned; including the St. Matthew Passion and a funeral ode he wrote for the Electress of Saxony. This recording by the Taverner Consort conducted by Andrew Parrott recreates the Trauer-Music for Prince Leopold.

This recording is not simply a dry reconstruction of some lost music, but first-class Bach superbly played and sung. It's striking when familiar music pops up with new words. "Weh und Ach" and "Erhalte mich" are the famous "Buß und Rue" and "Erbarme dich" arias from the St. Matthew Passion. Both arias are sung eloquently by alto Claire Wilkinson. Of course you can revel in this music without knowing the earlier works. The instrumental writing is outstanding and many of the arias have splendid obbligato passages. The opening "Laß Leopold" has a gorgeous gamba part (all the more poignant when you know the Prince was a gamba enthusiast) and "Mit Freuden" features some daring writing for oboes and flute. The vocal soloists are all quite good and Parrott's one-to-a-part approach, with choruses doubled, continues to work very well. There are no criticisms here. This is a marvelous album for neophyte Bach lovers as well as veteran listeners.