Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra

Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra
The ensembles of Sir John Eliot Gardner

The Monteverdi Choir was formed in 1964, by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, as a specialist baroque ensemble for a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers in King’s Chapel, Cambridge. Since then, the choir has made over one hundred recordings and won a variety of prizes and awards. One of these was the Grand Prix from the French Journalists’ Union in 2003, for the staging of the first complete performance in France of Berlioz’s opera, Les Troyens, at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris. The Choir has more than one hundred recordings to its name and has won numerous awards and prizes.

The Choir was followed by the creation of the English Baroque Soloists, in 1979. They play on period instruments and have become one of the greatest chamber orchestras. They have performed at a large number of famous places worldwide, including La Scala in Milan, the out-door amphitheatre in Pompeii, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Châtelet Theatre in Paris, New York’s Lincoln Center, the Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and St Mark’s, Venice. A six-year project was started in 1990 with the aim of performing all seven of Mozart’s mature operas across Europe. The final performance was in London, in 1995. The recordings made from this tour have been acclaimed by the critics.

The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique was formed in 1990. One of their greatest triumphs, so far, is their series of performances of Berlioz’s music. This included the very first modern performance of the rediscovered piece, Messe Solennelle. The Orchestra has won accolades for their performances of Beethoven’s symphonies. In fact, some critics have gone as far as to say that this is one of the most important recordings of Beethoven since the development of CDs. The Orchestra has also won critical acclaim for many other recordings, including the Schumann symphonies and music by Verdi, Weber and Mendelssohn. It was also involved in the making of BBC television’s highly successful dramatisation of the writing of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony in 2003. The Orchestra toured Holland in Spain in 2005, performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Plans for 2007 and 2008 include performing Brahms Symphonies 1, 2, 3 and 4 and German Requiem across Europe and USA. As part of the 2007 season, the orchestra embarked on a tour of Bach programmes across Europe, with The English Baroque Soloists. This will be followed by another European tour of Brahms’ orchestral and choral music. The Monteverdi choir will end the year in the Opéra Comique in Paris, where they will be performing Chabrier’s Etoile.

Sir John Eliot Gardner is the renowned conductor who is responsible for creating the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra. His vision was to revive early music and, as the founder and artistic director of the three components; The Monteverdi Choir, the The English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, he has achieved this. He also appears as guest conductor with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston and Cleveland and the London Symphony orchestras. He has made over 250 recordings for major record companies and won numerous awards including Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, honorary fellowships of both King's College, London, and the Royal Academy of Music. He was awarded a knighthood in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours List.