David Stewart wrote: >Should I just get the English one or am I right to want the German? Are >there any recommendations while we're at it? That depends on whether you are fluent in German. I find the English text, particularly in Part III, to be so outdated in terms of gender roles as to find it offensive. Listening to it in German, I remain undistracted from the glorious music. I have Gardiner/Monteverdi Choir and Kuijken/Collegium Vocale and am pleased with both. I've heard the most recent Robert Shaw/Atlanta and find it excellent, particularly solos by soprano Dawn Upshaw. Matthew Huston [log in to unmask]