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.
| Year | Performers | Conductor | Label and number | Notes | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Univ of Illinois SO, The Oratorio Society | LP: Univ of Illinois CRS1 | LP format only. Incomplete: items not in the usual order. Modern instruments. | [1] | ||
| 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 70325-7 CD (1990): Apex 2564 61429-2 (reissued, other labels) | Period instruments. | [2] | ||
| 1967 | Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg, Vienna Concertus Musicians | LP: Telefunken AWT 9501-2 CD (1994): Teldec 4509 92175-2 | Period instruments. | |||
| 1967 | Gregg Smith Singers, Texas Boys Choir of Fort Worth, Colombia Baroque Ensemble | LP: Columbia M2L 363 CD (1996): Sony 62656 | Items in not in the usual order. Modern instruments. | [3] | ||
| 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 | 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 SET593/4 CD (1986): Decca 414 573/4-2, (reissued) | Modern instruments. | |||
| 1975 | Regensburg Cathedral Choir and Instrumental Ensemble | LP: Archiv 2710 017 CD (1996): Archiv 447 719-2 | Based on edition of Gottfried Wolters. Period instruments. | [4] | ||
| 1975 | Pacifica Singers, Musica Pacifica | LP: Musica Pacifica PCFM 1002 | LP format only. Period instruments. | |||
| 1976 | LP: EMI ASD3256/7 CD (1995): EMI 7243 5 68632/3 (reissued) | Based on an edition by Denis Arnold. Period instruments. | ||||
| 1976 | 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 ID603 CD (1991): Ars Musici AM1000-2 (reissued) | Period instruments. | [5] | ||
| 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 36943 CD (2012): Sony G0100027508299 | Period instruments | [6] [7] | ||
| 1983 | Vocal Ensemble of Lausanne, Schola des Petits Chanteurs de Notre Dame de Sion, Ensemble of Ancient Instruments | LP: Erato NUM75030/1 CD (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 | 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 | Hyperion 66311/2 (reissued) | Period instruments. Recast as Vespers of St Barbara, with text and musical arrangements | [8] | |||
| 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 | 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 | 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 | [9] | ||
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Avie AV2206 | |||||
| 2011 | 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 | Carus CARUS83394 | [10] | ||||
| 2016 | Ensemble San Felice, La Pifaresca period brass ensemble | Brilliant Classics 95188BR | ||||
| 2017 | 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 | [11] | ||
| 2019 | La Tempête | Alpha 552 | [12] | |||
| 2023 | Pygmalion | Harmonia Mundi 902710.11 | [13] |
NotesCitations
Sources
. Jeffrey Kurtzman. The Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 : Music, Context, Performance. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2000. 0-19-816409-2.
. John Whenham. Monteverdi: Vespers 1610. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. 1997. 978-0-521-45377-6.