St Martin-in-the-Fields, London
Under the baton of Christophe Rousset, the Monteverdis sounded exquisite in a celebration of Advent that balanced reflection with exultation

The Monteverdi Choir found themselves in the news for the wrong reasons last year when their founder and conductor, John Eliot Gardiner, stepped down following an assault on the bass William Thomas. Christophe Rousset is conducting the group on this current tour, with the music of Bach and Marc-Antoine Charpentier forming the programme.

Gardiner continues to make his presence felt – there was controversy and criticism as the conductor’s new group, Constellation Choir and Orchestra, performed substantially the same repertory at a concert at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie only days before the Monteverdi Choir’s own performance.