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Martin Pearlman's Boston Baroque -- one of America's leading early music ensembles -- celebrates its 25th anniversary by tackling Bach's monumental B Minor Mass. With several dozen recordings already available, any newcomer needs to offer something special -- and Pearlman's does just that in a performance that's exceptionally warm and deeply felt. Indeed, it would be difficult to find a more meltingly tender "Gratias agimus tibi" than this one, or a "Sanctus" that swings with such gentle majesty. There's a perfect balance of intimacy and grandeur throughout the interpretation that allows the music to speak confidentially to the listener while also preserving its cosmic, soul-stirring splendor. The vocal soloists are terrific all around, a quintet of young, fresh voices who sing with poise and considerably more personality than the solo team on John Eliot Gardiner's justly acclaimed DG recording. The Boston Baroque choristers can't quite match the dazzling virtuosity of Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir, but they negotiate the zippy tempo of the "Cum Sancto Spiritu" with admirable grace. Telarc's sound is appropriately full and spacious. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble