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John Eliot Gardiner at 80
Some tastes and fashions may have changed since John Eliot Gardiner first made his mark on the UK's music scene in the mid-1960s (some earlier photos of him feature levels of denim that might be considered brave nowadays...), but his artistry undeniably continues to inspire. As the influential conductor turns 80, we look back at some of his most acclaimed and significant recordings.
The most obvious thing that springs to mind in connection with John Eliot Gardiner is surely Bach - and his award haul for Bach alone would be the envy of many a conductor. His Bach Cantata Pilgrimage concert series around the Millennium gave rise to a complete set of recordings, and there have also been highly-regarded accounts of the Passions, motets and more, cementing Gardiner's reputation as an interpreter of early music.
But Gardiner wears another equally significant hat - with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique he champions Classical and Romantic repertoire, in particular Beethoven and Berlioz. His recordings of the former's complete symphonies on period instruments have drawn further critical acclaim, and in the 1990s he helped to revive, through performances and recordings, the latter's recently rediscovered Messe solennelle.
Whittling all this down to a "top ten" seems almost facile and inevitably excludes many fantastic recordings, but we tried! Below are ten that we think really are the best of the best - and of course you can also browse John Eliot Gardiner's full discography.
Maria João Pires (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: SACD + Blu-ray Audio, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
James Gilchrist (Evangelist), Stephan Loges (Jesus), Hannah Morrison, Zoë Brookshaw, Charlotte Ashley (soprano), Reginald Mobley, Eleanor Minney (alto), Hugo Hymas (tenor), Ashley Riches, Alex Ashworth, Jonathan Sells (bass) English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, Trinity Boys Choir, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Rodney Gilfry (Don Giovanni), Luba Orgonasova (Anna), Charlotte Margiono (Elvira), Eirian James (Zerlina), Christoph Prégardien (Don Ottavio), Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (Leporello), Julian Clarkson (Masetto), Andrea Silvestrelli (Commendatore), English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Bach Cantatas Volume 1
Cantatas for the Feast of St. John the Baptist & Cantatas for the First Sunday after Trinity
Joanne Lunne, Wilke te Brummelstroete, Paul Agnew, Dietrich Henschel, Gillian Keith, The Monteverdi Choir, The English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: 2 CDs, MP3, FLAC
Louise Alder (Semele), Hugo Hymas (Jupiter), Lucile Richardot (Juno/Ino), Carlo Vistoli (Athamas), Gianluca Buratto (Somnus/Cadmus), Emily Owen (Iris), Angela Hicks (Cupid), Peter Davoren (Apollo), English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Charlotte Margiono, Catherine Robbin, William Kendall, Alastair Miles, Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Katharine Fuge (soprano), Matthew Brook (bass), Monteverdi Choir & Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Jennifer Johnston (Jocasta), Stuart Skelton (Oedipus), Gidon Saks (Creon) & Fanny Ardant (narrator), Gentlemen of the Monteverdi Choir & London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: SACD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Furio Zanasi (Ulisse), Lucile Richardot (Penelope), Krystian Adam (Telemaco), Hana Blažíková (Minerva / Fortuna), Gianluca Buratto (Tempo / Nettuno / Antinoo), Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
David Smith - Head of Digital
