EXPOSURE Bach known and unknown, with BASIL RAMSEY Hyperion        KING5

An anthology of Bach tracks from Robert King and his Consort's earlier CDs makes a welcome selection; and it is only partly of well-known music. The opening and closing choruses of Cantata 1, Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern, are right off the beaten track, and truthfully the Christmas Oratorio is a work known by title rather than music to many, so a chorus and chorale make two more tracks to swell the Bach experience.

There are also instrumental extracts, including movements from the Concerto in D minor for two violins, that for oboe and violin in C minor, and for oboe in F, plus the Sinfonia to Cantata 169 [listen, track 10, 00:00 - 00:50].

Above all, this music is treated in the right spirit - no undue reverential awe to forsake sense, and no flippancy to exceed reasonable tempi. With 14 tracks and a duration of 73'21" this makes a fine and well-packed companion for devotees, and those trembling on the brink of good music exposure.

To listen to the aural illustrations in this review, you may need to download RealNetworks' realplayer G2.