The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers (1610) in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, 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 John Eliot Gardiner's orchestras, the English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.
A budget-range double CD entitled "A Classic Christmas" was released by Universal in 2005, which included two of the choir's recordings from 1998 ("Past Three O'Clock" and "The Lamb"), and which (presumably incorrectly) billed them as The Monteverdi Singers.
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 concert broadcast live by BBC Radio 3.
In 2000 the Choir, with the English Baroque Soloists, undertook an ambitious tour, the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, in which it performed almost all of J.S. Bach's sacred cantatas in more than 60 churches in Europe, the UK and the US to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. Some cantatas were excluded a priori from the pilgrimage, as their composition was not associated with religious calendar commitments.
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 (recordings released by Deutsche Grammophon will not be released again on 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.
All recordings mentioned are with the English Baroque Soloists or Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, unless otherwise stated.
Easter Cantatas: BWV 6, BWV 66 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 580-2Cantatas: BWV 106, BWV 118/BWV 231, BWV 198 — 1990 — Archiv Produktion 463 581-2Cantatas for the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany: BWV 72, BWV 73, BWV 111, BWV 156 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 582-2( recorded live on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, Milan, January 2000)Cantatas for Ascension Day: BWV 43, BWV 128, BWV 37, BWV 11 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 583-2Whitsun Cantatas: BWV 172, BWV 59, BWV 74, BWV 34 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 584-2Cantatas for the Feast of the Purification of Mary: BWV 83, BWV 82, BWV 125, BWV 200 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 585-2 (recorded live on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, Christchurch, February 2000)Cantatas: BWV 98, BWV 139, BWV 16 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 586-2Cantatas: BWV 140, BWV 147 — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 463 587-2Advent Cantatas: BWV 61, BWV 36, BWV 62 — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 463 588-2Christmas Cantatas: BWV 63, BWV 64, BWV 121, BWV 133 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 589-2Cantatas for the 9th Sunday after Trinity: BWV 94, BWV 168, BWV 105 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 590-2 (recorded live on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, Merano, August 2000)Cantatas for the 11th Sunday after Trinity: BWV 179, BWV 199, BWV 113 — 2000 — Archiv Produktion 463 591-2 (recorded live on the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, St Davids, September 2000)Cantatas for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany: BWV 155, BWV 3, BWV 13 and Cantatas for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany: BWV BWV 81, BWV 14, BWV 26, Motet BWV 227 (2 CDs) — 2005 — SDG 115Cantatas for the Feast of St. John the Baptist: BWV 167, BWV 7, BWV 30 and Cantatas for the 1st Sunday after Trinity: BWV 75, BWV 20, BWV 39 (2 CDs) — 2005 — SDG 101Cantatas for the 15th Sunday after Trinity: BWV 138, BWV 99, BWV 51, BWV 100 and Cantatas for the 16th Sunday after Trinity: BWV 161, BWV 27, BWV 8, BWV 95 (2 CDs) —2005 — SDG 104Cantatas for the 3rd Sunday after Easter (Jubilate): BWV 12, BWV 103, BWV 146 and Cantatas for the 4th Sunday after Easter: BWV 166, BWV 108, BWV 117 (2 CDs) — 2005 — SDG 107Cantatas for the 19th Sunday after Trinity: BWV 48, BWV 5, BWV 90, BWV 56 and Cantatas for the Feast of the Reformation: BWV 79, BWV 192, BWV 80 (2 CDs) — 2005 — SDG 110Alles mit Gott, BWV 1127 & Arias and Choruses from Cantatas BWV 71, BWV 78, BWV 151, BWV 155, BWV 159, BWV 182, BWV 190 — 2005 — SDG 114Cantatas for the Christmas Day & for the 2nd day of Christmas: BWV 91, BWV 121, BWV 40, BWV 110 — 2005 — SDG 113Mass in B minor, BWV 232 — 1985 — Archiv Produktion 415 514-2St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 — 1989 — Archiv Produktion 427 648-2St John Passion, BWV 245 — 1986 — Archiv Produktion 419 324-2Magnificat, BWV 243 and Cantata: BWV 51 (with Emma Kirkby) — 1985 — Philips Classics 464 672-2Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) (with the Monteverdi Orchestra) — 1975 — Decca SET 593-4Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) and Magnificat a sei voci — 1990 — Archiv Produktion 429 565-2Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) and Motets by Giovanni Gabrieli, Giovanni Bassano & Claudio Monteverdi (2 CDs) — 1994 — DeccaGloria in D major, RV 589 — 2001 — Philips Classics 462 597-2George Frideric Handel
Messiah — 1982 — Philips Classics 411 041-2Dixit Dominus —2001 — Philips Classics 462 597-2Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons), Hob. XXI:3 — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 431 818-2Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Hob. XXI:2 — 1996 — Archiv Produktion 449 217-2Requiem, KV 626 and Kyrie in D minor, KV 341 — 1986 — Philips ClassicsMass in C minor, "Great" Mass, K. 427 — 1986 — Philips ClassicsLa clemenza di Tito — 1991 — Archiv ProduktionDie Entführung aus dem Serail — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 435 857-2Così fan tutte — 1993 — Archiv Produktion 437 829-2Le Nozze di Figaro — 1994 — Archiv Produktion 439 871-2Don Giovanni — 1995 — Archiv Produktion 445 870-2Die Zauberflöte — 1996 — Archiv Produktion 449 166-2Missa Solemnis, op. 123 — 1990 — Archiv Produktion 429 779-2Messe in C, op. 86, Ah! perfido — "Per pietà" op. 65, and Kantate op. 112: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt — 1992 — Archiv Produktion 435 391-2Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125 — 1994 — Archiv Produktion 447 074-2Ein deutsches Requiem op. 45 - 1991 - Philips 432 140-2Once As I Remember... (Christmas music) — 1998 — Philips 462050Music of the Chapels Royal (music by Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke, John Blow, and Pelham Humfrey) — 2002 — apex 0927 44352 2Membra Jesu Nostri by Buxtehude and O bone Jesu, fili Mariae (SWV 471), a Sacred concerto by Schütz — Archiv Produktion 447 298-2
