English Baroque Soloists / Monteverdi Choir / Christophe Rousset

• Classical Music

Please note the change of artist: The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists announced the stepping down of conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner in July after 60 years of collaboration. In Gardiner’s place, the French baroque specialist Christophe Rousset now conducts this concert.

The French conductor and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset is passionate about French Baroque music and is a renowned Bach interpreter. He describes his collaboration with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (MCO), which has been setting standards in period performance for 60 years, as an honour: »From an early age, I have been a great fan of [MCO] and its founding conductor. Having the chance to work with this wonderful ›instrument‹ at my fingertips is a great privilege.« Together, they bring the most beautiful baroque music to the stage in the hictorically informed performance practice.

The »Messe de Minuit« by Marc-Antoine Charpentier with ten old French Christmas carols follows the country’s tradition of celebrating the good news with dancing vigour and great cheerfulness. With the two following Bach cantatas, composed for the Christmas season in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, the ensembles return to their core repertoire. They performed all 200 cantatas by the baroque master within a year – nothing if not a mammoth project!

Sir John Eliot Gardiner performs with his newly founded ensembles in the Elbphilharmonie on 7 December. Anyone wishing to switch from 14 to 7 December due to the change in line-up can return tickets already purchased.

PERFORMERS

English Baroque Soloists orchestra

Monteverdi Choir choir

Hilary Cronin soprano

Keri Fuge soprano

Rebecca Leggett mezzo-soprano

Florian Sievers tenor

Florian Störtz bass baritone

Christophe Rousset conductor

PROGRAM

Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Noëls sur les instruments H. 531

Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Messe de minuit à 4 voix, flûtes et violons, pour Noël H. 9

Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Noëls sur les instruments H. 534

- Interval -

Johann Sebastian Bach
Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 36

Johann Sebastian Bach
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110