2011 ended with a stuffed, boned pheasant and a good bottle of Côtes du Rhône wine. Then on to what, for me, is the pinnacle of Western music and the high point of High Baroque: Bach's Mass in B minor. It is a work I associate with special occasions, and I usually play it at the year's end. Coincidentally, it was the very first work I heard at a concert (at the age of around 13 in St Wilfred's Church in Rose Green where I was conscious of being the only person in the audience under the age of about 60).

The recording I listened to to usher in 2012 was, of course, the 1967 performance conducted by Otto Klemperer. To my mind, he is the conductor who brings out the greatness and splendour of this work. His sense of structure and architecture are crucial in giving shape and form to well over two hours of music, and his insistence on clarifying all the strands of Bach's complex orchestral and choral part-writing means that the work comes over with more clarity than most of the current minimalist, high-speed performances. His chorus of 48 voices is ideal in the context. Klemperer's tempi may often seem to be deliberate, but they add up to a glorious and satisfying whole. Add to that the fact that the work is well sung, well played, well recorded and well transferred to CD, and you have a great recording of a great work. 2012 has begun well. For Klemperer, Bach's Mass in B minor was "the greatest and most unique music ever written". It certainly sounds it, in this truly noble performance.