Benjamin Appl: My Baroque Inspirations Top Five

Bach: "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein", from 'Matthew Passion' BWV 244

This was the aria I sang to audition at the Munich Conservatoire. I remember doing a national competition beforehand and another baritone sang it and I was so moved. From then it was always a piece that was with me. I sang it for that audition, and then later on it was also one of the first oratorios I performed – and now I perform it on my new album. When you sing it, this is one of the most moving moments in any performance of the 'Matthew Passion'. You see people crying in 'Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben' or 'Erbarme dich' or and then there's this huge relief. I'd love someone to film this moment some day, because when you stand on stage and you communicate with the audience, what you get back is so special.

Bach: 'Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf' BWV 226

In the boys choir of Regensburger Domspatzen we always had Bach in the programme and 'Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf ’ was the first one I sang. That's really where I got into Bach, and I've always found it very uplifting. But it was so hard to sing! I remember in one of the concerts we even made a false start and the whole thing fell apart. But I felt so connected with this music and that's why I bought this recording. At the time, when I was ten or eleven years old, I really wanted to become a conductor and I went to a music store and bought a baton and started conducting the piece over and over from this recording.

Biber: Rosary Sonatas – Passacaglia in G minor

This Biber is a very emotional piece. Reinhard Goebel's playing was extraordinary and in this recording there are so many layers to it. What I admire about him is that he started violin like everyone else, then he had an injury and relearnt it on the other side. Then when he had another injury became a conductor. And it's this power and will that's really something. I've been working with him for a few years now and I love his combination of knowledge and real emotion. You know always immediately what he thinks: he articulates it and you also see it. There are only a few people around who are actually musicians and conductors and have this level of scholarship and knowledge.

Purcell: 'Hail, Bright Cecilia'

Paul McCreesh was actually the first Baroque conductor from the UK I worked with, and I've performed this Purcell 'Saint Cecilia Ode' with him a few times. He's always incredibly in the moment; he's very engaging, funny, entertaining. He's an incredible musician himself. You really feel that when he conducts he listens to you, and he can give away in the moment of a concert and just let it flow.

Haydn: 'Lauft ihr Hirten allzugleich'

Normally the Regensburger Domspatzen perform a capella. And this was, I think, one of the first performances with a big orchestra. It was at the Philhamonie am Gasteig with the Munich Philharmonic and I was singing in the altos. Barbara Hendricks was supposed to sing, but she cancelled and Edita Gruberová stepped in. We were all sitting for the rehearsal and then this lady came on stage. She wasn't spectacular or dressed up at all. Then suddenly she opened her mouth and I completely fell in love with her. Also, for me as a child, it was the first time I saw a star singer so close. And I think looking back it was a decisive moment in my life: to see what someone, a singer, can produce, and what singer as a package can be.

Stölzl: "Bist du bei mir?"

I first thought about a playlist of Bach as genius or copier, and "Bist Du bei mir" started off in that list, as well as being on my new album. The story around it is very interesting – we don't know why it ended up in Anna Magdalena's notebook. It's an aria, but it's like a song. It's a universal piece in a way and it doesn't fit into any categories. There are only a few pieces around like that. You can sing it with any voice, and I think only a few people would judge you and say, "this voice is too big or this voice has too much vibrato." That’s something wonderful!