Verdians: John Eliot Gardiner

Sir John Eliot Gardiner turns 69 today.

The founder of the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Gardiner has led some riveting performances of Verdi in recent years. I am especially fond of his recording of the Manzoni Requiem, which was released (along with the Quattro pezzi sacri) in 1995. It is based on David Rosen’s critical edition of the score, published by the University of Chicago Press in 1990.

We listeners are blessed to have many fine recordings of this masterwork from which to choose, but none to my mind tops Gardiner’s for clarity and sizzle.

Bon week-end à tous !