Monteverdi Choir


For over 60 years, the Monteverdi Choir has been recognised as one of the greatest and most influential choirs in the world. Founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the Vespro della Beata Vergine in King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conviction and extensive repertoire, encompassing music from the Renaissance period to Classical music of the 20th century. They often appear with the English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, also founded by John Eliot Gardiner.
In 2023, the Choir and English Baroque Soloists performed at the Coronation of HM King Charles III, with The Daily Telegraph proclaiming “if the Monteverdi Choir isn’t singing when I get to the gates of Heaven, I want my money back.”
In 2000, the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach's death, the choir undertook the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, performing and recording most of his church cantatas in more than 60 historic churches throughout Europe, and some in the U.S.
On 5 March 2014 the Choir celebrated its 50th anniversary with a repeat performance of the Monteverdi Vespers from King's College Chapel, in a live broadcast live by BBC Radio 3. In 2023, it was one of the choirs selected to sing at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla. The Choir together with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique toured Europe with Berlioz's Les Troyens, conducted by Dinis Sousa, in the summer of 2023. The Choir was named ‘Best Choir’ at the Oper! Awards ceremony held at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam on 29 January 2024.
In July 2024, it was announced that John Eliot Gardiner was resigning as Artistic Director of the choir.
in December 2024 they Record with The English Baroque Solists a Baroque Christmas '': Messe de minuit H.9, In nativitatem Domini canticum H.416, Noëls sur les instruments'' H.531 & H.534 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The conductor is this time Christophe Rousset.

Bach Cantata Pilgrimage

In 2000 the Choir, with the English Baroque Soloists, undertook an ambitious tour, the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, in which it performed almost all of Johann Sebastian Bach's church cantatas in more than 60 churches in Europe, the UK and the US to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. The dates followed the occasions of the liturgical year for which Bach had assigned his compositions. Some of the churches are connected to Bach's life.
Recordings of a number of the cantatas were released by Deutsche Grammophon on the Archiv label. However, most of the recordings made during the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage have been released in 28 volumes on Gardiner's own label, Soli Deo Gloria. The series was completed in 2012 with a live recording in London of cantatas for Ascension Day that were performed in Salisbury during the pilgrimage, but were not recorded for technical reasons. It is possible that some cantatas which were not performed during the pilgrimage will be added to the recording project, such as works for the inauguration of the Leipzig town council.

Discography

''All recordings mentioned are with the English Baroque Soloists or Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, unless otherwise stated.''

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantatas">List of Bach cantatas">Cantatas

Claudio Monteverdi

  • Vespro della Beata Vergine — 1975 — Decca SET 593-4
  • Vespro della Beata Vergine and Magnificat a sei voci — 1990 — Archiv Produktion 429 565-2
  • Vespro della Beata Vergine and motets by Giovanni Gabrieli, Giovanni Bassano & Claudio Monteverdi — 1994 — Decca

    Alessandro Scarlatti

  • Stabat Mater — 2020 — Erato OCLC

    Antonio Vivaldi

  • Gloria in D major, RV 589 — 2001 — Philips Classics 462 597-2

    George Frideric Handel

  • Messiah — 1982 — Philips Classics 411 041-2
  • Dixit Dominus —2001 — Philips Classics 462 597-2
  • Semele — 2019 — SDG733

    Christoph Willibald Gluck

  • Orfeo ed Euridice — 1993 — Philips Classics 434 093-2

    Joseph Haydn

  • Die Jahreszeiten, Hob. XXI:3 — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 431 818-2
  • Die Schöpfung, Hob. XXI:2 — 1996 — Archiv Produktion 449 217-2

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

  • Requiem, KV 626 and Kyrie in D minor, KV 341 — 1986 — Philips Classics
  • Great Mass in C minor, "Great" Mass, K. 427 — 1986 — Philips Classics
  • Idomeneo — 1991 — Archiv Produktion 431 674-2
  • La clemenza di Tito — 1991 — Archiv Produktion 431 806-2
  • Die Entführung aus dem Serail — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 435 857-2
  • Così fan tutte — 1993 — Archiv Produktion 437 829-2
  • Le Nozze di Figaro — 1994 — Archiv Produktion 439 871-2
  • Don Giovanni — 1995 — Archiv Produktion 445 870-2
  • Die Zauberflöte — 1996 — Archiv Produktion 449 166-2

    Ludwig van Beethoven

  • Missa Solemnis, op. 123 — 1990 — Archiv Produktion 429 779-2
  • Messe in C, op. 86, "Ah! perfido - Per pietà", op. 65, Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, op. 112 — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 435 391-2
  • Ninth Symphony, op. 125 — 1994 — Archiv Produktion 447 074-2
  • Piano Concerto No. 5, op. 73, Choral Fantasy, op. 80 — 1996 — Archiv Produktion 447 771-2
  • Leonore — 1997 — Archiv Produktion 453 461-2

    Carl Maria von Weber

  • Oberon - 2005 - Philips Classics 4756563

    Franz Schubert

  • Mass in A flat, D. 678, Hymnus an den Heiligen Geist, D. 948, Psalm 92, D. 953: Lied für den Sabbath, Stabat mater, D. 175 - 1999 - Philips Classics 456 578-2

    Hector Berlioz

  • Messe solennelle — 1994 — Philips Classics 442 137-2
  • Harold en Italie, Tristia — 1996 — Philips Classics 446 676-2
  • Roméo et Juliette — 1998 — Philips Classics 289 454 454-2

    Robert Schumann

  • Das Paradies und die Peri, Requiem für Mignon, Nachtlied — 1999 — Archiv Produktion 457 660-2

    Giuseppe Verdi

  • Requiem, Quattro pezzi sacri — 1995 — Philips Classics 442 142-2
  • Falstaff — 2001 — Philips Classics 462 603-2

    Johannes Brahms

  • Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45 - 1991 - Philips Classics 432 140-2

    Other recordings

  • Once As I Remember... — 1998 — Philips 462050
  • Music of the Chapels Royal — 2002 — apex 0927 44352 2
  • Membra Jesu Nostri by Buxtehude and O bone Jesu, fili Mariae, a Sacred concerto by Schütz — Archiv Produktion 447 298-2
  • Baroque Christmas, Messe de minuit H.9, In nativitatem Domini canticum H.416, Noëls sur les instruments H.531 & H.534 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier conducted by Christophe Rousset.