Bach’s appointment in 1723 as Thomaskantor in Leipzig heralded a period of intense creative energy for the composer. Over the next four years, Bach would use his considerable talents to write works for choir that reach levels of virtuosity, expression, and jubilation unmatched by any other composer of the German Baroque. The Motets, as a collection, are the lodestar of Baroque choral polyphony and were likely performed repeatedly until Bach’s death in 1750. Approachable and deeply moving, the Motets are among the few Bach works that did not fall out of fashion after the composer’s death. In a tour-de-force performance, The Thirteen’s musicians, “exquisite in every way” (Gramophone) perform all of Bach’s motets in concert.