Breaking: Monteverdis name Gardiner substitute for winter tour

The Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras have engaged the Frenchman Christophe Rousset in place of Sir John Eliot Gardiner on their next tour.

Gardiner, 81, was fired after a violent incident.

Rousset, 63, is a much-recorded harpsichordist and conductor with strong early-music credentials.

He will make his MCO conducting debut in December with concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, La Scala, Milan, and other venues to be confirmed next week. They are likely to include Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Vienna, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
The soloists include Hilary Cronin, Bethany Horak- Hallett, Florian Sievers and Florian Störtz.

Rousset is a box-office draw. Whether he matches JEG’s force remains to be tested.