This is a discography of the recordings of Vespro della Beata Vergine by Claudio Monteverdi – also known as his Vespers of 1610. Since the first vinyl recordings of the work in 1953, the Vespers have been recorded in numerous versions. Some versions are choral-based, others use one voice per part (OVPP). Some versions use modern instruments, but since the first recording on period instruments appeared in the 1960s their use has become normal. Sir John Eliot Gardiner has recorded the Vespers with both modern and period instruments, explaining that the latter are now played to a higher standard than when he made his first recording in the 1970s. In the late 1970s the Monteverdi orchestra, which he founded, transitioned to period instruments and became the English Baroque Soloists.
The recordings also reflect the fact that there is a debate about whether the Vespers were originally performed as a single work. Sometimes it has been decided to add material or omit items in order to replicate a church service. In a few cases, for example the Stevens recording, the "sacred concertos" that divide the psalms are replaced by antiphonal chants.
In the list, the "Year" column indicates year of initial issue of each recording. For pre-1982 recordings, details of the first compact disc issue are included; thereafter, all issues refer to CDs. Where the date of recording is significantly earlier than the issue date, a note has been added. Many of the recordings have been reissued, sometimes multiple times, often under different labels – reissue details are not included.
List of recordings Year PerformersConductorLabel and numberNotesRefs1953 Univ of Illinois SO, The Oratorio Society LP: Univ of Illinois CRS1 LP format only. Incomplete: items not in the usual order. Modern instruments. Kurtzman, p. 516 1953 Swabian Choral Singers, Stuttgart Bach Orch. LP: STUX 52004 LP format only. Based on Redlich edition; items not in the usual order. Modern instruments. 1953 London St Anthony Singers, Oiseau-Lyre Orch LP format only. Modern instruments. 1967 Lausanne Vocal and Instrumental Ensemble LP: Erato STU 70325-7CD (1990): Apex 2564 61429-2 (reissued, other labels) Period instruments. 1967 Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg, Vienna Concertus Musicians LP: Telefunken AWT 9501-2CD (1994): Teldec 4509 92175-2 Period instruments. 1967 Gregg Smith Singers, Texas Boys Choir of Fort Worth, Colombia Baroque Ensemble LP: Columbia M2L 363CD (1996): Sony 62656 Items in not in the usual order. Modern instruments. Kurtzman, p. 517 1967 Deller Consort, French National Radio Choir and Orchestra LP: Concert Hall Soc. SMS 2518 CD (1988): Adès OR13.270-2 Modern instruments. 1967 Ambrosian Singers, Orch. of the Accademia Monteverdiana LP: Vanguard VCS 10001/2 LP format only. Stevens edition, replaces concertos with plainchant antiphons. Modern instruments. 1968 Polifonica Ambrosiana Choir and Orchestra LP: Musica Antiqua Sacra PAB 1306/07 LP format only. Omits concertos 1970 Berlin Radio Ensemble, Berlin Chamber Orchestra LP: Eterna 8 26056/7 LP format only. Based on an edition by Walter Goehr – omits both Magnificats. Modern instruments. 1975 Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Salisbury Cathedral Choir, Recorder Ensemble LP: Decca SET593/4CD (1986): Decca 414 573/4-2, (reissued) Modern instruments. 1975 Regensburg Cathedral Choir and Instrumental Ensemble LP: Archiv 2710 017CD (1996): Archiv 447 719-2 Based on edition of Gottfried Wolters. Period instruments. Kurtzman, p. 518 1975 Pacifica Singers, Musica Pacifica LP: Musica Pacifica PCFM 1002 LP format only. Period instruments. 1976 Early Music Consort of London, King's College Choir, Cambridge LP: EMI ASD3256/7CD (1995): EMI 7243 5 68632/3 (reissued) Based on an edition by Denis Arnold. Period instruments. 1976 Chapel Choirs of Musics Montserrat, Collegium Aureum LP: Harmonia Mundi 1C 165-99 681-82 LP format only. Period instruments. 1980 Aachen Cathedral Choir and Orchestra LP:Interdisc ID602 LP format only. 1980 Pro Cantione Antiqua, Hannover Boys' Choir, Collegium Aureum, Musica Fiat LP: Interdisc ID603CD (1991): Ars Musici AM1000-2 (reissued) Period instruments. 1981 Les Petits Chanteurs de Chaillot, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy, Vocal Ensemble Roger Thirot, Choir School Notre Dame, Les Sacquboutiers de Toulouse LP: CBS Masterworks D2 36943CD (2012): Sony G0100027508299 Period instruments Kurtzman, p. 519 1983 Vocal Ensemble of Lausanne, Schola des Petits Chanteurs de Notre Dame de Sion, Ensemble of Ancient Instruments LP: Erato NUM75030/1CD (1983): Erato ECD 2292-45183-2 (reissued) Period instruments. 1983 The Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Baroque Orchestra, NY Cornet and Sacbut Ensemble LP: Titanic 120/121 LP format only. Period instruments. 1984 Taverner Consort and Players EMI CDC 7 47078/9 (reissued) Period instruments 1986 Tölz Boys' Choir, , Vienna Concertus WCJ 2564 69464-8 (reissued) Period instruments 1986 La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent and Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse Harmonia Mundi HMX290 1247-8 (reissued) Period instruments 1988 The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra Hyperion 66311/2 (reissued) Period instruments. Recast as Vespers of St Barbara, with text and musical arrangements Kurtzman, p. 521 1989 La Capella Reial, Coro del Centro Musica Antica di Padova Auvidis Astrée E8719 (reissued) Period instruments 1989 Musica Fiata Köln, Stuttgart Chamber Choir, Choralschola Niederalteich DHM RD77760 (reissued) Period instruments 1989 New London Consort L'Oiseau-Lyre 425 823-2OH2 (reissued) 1989 The Monteverdi Choir, The London Oratory Junior Choir, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, The English Baroque Soloists Archiv 429 565-2AH2 (reissued) Second recording by Gardiner 1993 The Scholars Baroque Ensemble Naxos 8 550662/3 1994 Cantus Cölln, Concerto Palatino Deutsche HM G01100009381079 (reissued) 1995 Vokalensemble Frankfurt, Instumentalensemble "Il basso" Capriccio C10516 1996 Netherland Chamber Choir, Concerto Vocale : Harmonia Mundi HMC90 1566/7 Period instruments Kurtzman, p. 524 1996 London Bach Orchestra, London Cornett & Sackbutt Ensemble BBC Records 156569187-7 Period instruments. Recorded 25 May 1970. 1996 Dresden Chamber Choir, Early Music Consort of Dresden, Wind Collegium of Leipzig Raumklang 9605 Period instruments. Based on Wolters edition 1997 Boston Baroque Orchestra Telarc 2CD80453 1997 Les Arts Florissants Orchestra and Chorus, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse Erato 3984 23139-2 (reissued) 1998 Coro della Radio Svizzera, Ensemble More Antiquo, Concerto Palatino, I Barocchisti Arts 47594-9 1999 Verso Chorus, Madrigalia Choir, Elyma Ensemble K617 K617 100 (reissued) 1999 Bach Collegium Japan, Concerto Palatino BIS BIS-CD1071/2 (reissued) 1999 Zagreb Radio Choir, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra Living Stage LS1035 Live recording 5 June 1974 2002 Tragicomedia, Concerto Palatino ATMA Classique ACD22304/5 2004 Concerto Italiano Naïve OP30403 (reissued) 2004 Yorkshire Bach Choir Cloister CLOCD0304 2005 Gabrieli Consort and Players Archiv 477 6147AH2 (reissued) 2006 The King's Consort Choir and Orchestra Hyperion CDA67531/2 2007 New York's Grande Bande Musical Heritage Society 523536W Period instruments 2007 Southern Sinfonia, Rodolfus Choir, The English Cornet & Sackbut Ensemble Signum SIGCD109 Period instruments 2007 La Petite Bande Challenge Classics CC72311 2008 Soloists, chorus and orchestra (unspecified) Andromeda ANDRCD9031 Live recording 6 September 1957 2010 Ensemble Concerto, Ensemble la Pifarescha, Concerto Palatino Dynamic CDS656/1-3 2010 New College Choir Oxford, Charivari Agréable novum NCR1382 2010 Apollo's Fire Avie AV2206 2011 Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Signum SIGCD237 2011 L'Arpeggiata Erato 6419942 2011 Musica Fiata Pan Classics PC10240 2012 Concerto Palatino, Himlische Cantorey, Hanover Boys Choir, Vox Werdensis, Musica Alta Ripa Rondeau ROP7012-13 2013 Western Michigan University Chorale, Seraphic Fire Seraphic Fire Media SFMCD06 2014 Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Cappella Mediterranea Ambronay AMY041 2014 The Sixteen Coro 16126 Second recording by The Sixteen 2014 amarcord, Lautten Compagney Carus CARUS83394 Matthias Lange: Monteverdi, Claudio - Marienvesper / Amarcord mit Gästen und Monteverdi (in German) magazin.klassik.com 21 November 20142016 Ensemble San Felice, La Pifaresca period brass ensemble Brilliant Classics 95188BR 2017 Dunedin Consort, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts Linn CKD569 2017 Cantar Lontano Pan Classics PC10371 2017 La Compagnia del Madrigale, Cantica Symphonia, La Pifarescha Glossa GCD922807 2018 Collegium Vocale Gent Phi Second recording by Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent 2019 La Tempête Alpha 552 2023 Pygmalion Harmonia Mundi 902710.11
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