Soli Deo Gloria
Soli Deo Gloria is a British not-for-profit classical record label established to document and release the Monteverdi Choir's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage and related projects led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
Soli Deo Gloria was created as a dedicated outlet for recordings made during the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage undertaken in 2000 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir with associated instrumental forces. The pilgrimage was conceived as a sustained performance and recording project, presenting Bach's church cantatas in the context of the church calendar and in locations connected with the composer's musical world. Its scale produced a large body of live recordings. Gardiner had previously recorded extensively with Deutsche Grammophon. That relationship did not result in the release of the entire Bach pilgrimage, since the major label was willing to issue only a smaller selection of the recorded cantatas. Soli Deo Gloria was consequently established to make the wider project available, operating as a not-for-profit label rather than as a conventional profit-maximising catalogue company. The imprint's name reflects the initials Bach often placed at the end of his cantatas and other compositions, signalling the label's close association with Bach's religious vocal music. The first Soli Deo Gloria release appeared in October 2005 as Bach Cantatas, Volume 1, catalogue number SDG101. It immediately attracted major critical recognition by winning Record of the Year at the Gramophone Awards. The label continued issuing the pilgrimage recordings as a numbered Bach Cantata series. By 2011, nearly all of Bach's church cantatas performed during the project had been released, and the series received a Gramophone Award for special achievement. The project became the central historical and commercial identity of the label, while also providing an unusually comprehensive recorded account of a single performance initiative. The catalogue then expanded into related repertoire and projects. In 2006, at the behest of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, Soli Deo Gloria published the first recording of Alles mit Gott, a newly discovered work by Bach. The imprint also documented a pilgrimage to Santiago following a 2004 tour along the Camino de Santiago, extending its interest in recordings shaped by travel, place, and large-scale artistic projects. Other releases included Mozart performances. A recording of two Mozart symphonies, captured live at London's Cadogan Hall, was made available at the end of the concert in 2006. The label also broadened its orchestral coverage through the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. In autumn 2007, that ensemble was recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall and Paris's Salle Pleyel during a concert cycle titled Brahms and his Antecedents. The first release from the series appeared in September 2008 and combined Brahms's Symphony No. 1 with music by Mendelssohn. Across these activities, Soli Deo Gloria developed a distinctive role within classical recording: it preserved live, historically informed performances that might not otherwise have received a complete or dedicated release. Its known catalogue is closely tied to Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir, the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, and related ensembles, while its not-for-profit model supports a mission centred on documentation and access to important performances. Public reference material does not provide a confirmed founding year, formal headquarters, ownership structure, or list of corporate executives, so those details remain unestablished.
- 2011
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage receives special-achievement award
[1]The nearly complete cantata series receives a Gramophone Award for special achievement.
- 2008
First Brahms-and-antecedents release
[1]The first release from the orchestral series appears, pairing Brahms's Symphony No. 1 with music by Mendelssohn.
- 2007
Brahms and his Antecedents recordings begin
[1]The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique is recorded in London and Paris during the Brahms and his Antecedents concert cycle.
- 2006
First recording of Alles mit Gott
[1]At the Bach Archive's request, Soli Deo Gloria releases the first recording of the newly discovered Bach work Alles mit Gott.
- 2005
First release and Gramophone recognition
[1]Bach Cantatas, Volume 1 is issued as SDG101 and wins Record of the Year at the Gramophone Awards.
- 2004
Santiago pilgrimage project is recorded
[1]The label's later catalogue includes recordings connected with a musical pilgrimage following a tour along the Camino de Santiago.
- 2000
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage takes place
[1]Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir undertake the performance and recording project that becomes the foundation of Soli Deo Gloria's catalogue.
Products and positioning
A specialist, not-for-profit classical label focused on historically informed performance, live documentation, Bach scholarship, and recording projects led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and associated ensembles.
Classical choral recordings · 2005
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series
The label's core catalogue is a dedicated series documenting performances from the 2000 Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. It was designed to make available the broad body of live recordings that had not been fully accepted for release by Deutsche Grammophon. The series covers Bach's church cantatas and became one of the most comprehensive outcomes of the pilgrimage project.
Bach vocal recording · 2006
Alles mit Gott
This release presents the first recording of a newly discovered work associated with Johann Sebastian Bach. Soli Deo Gloria issued it in 2006 at the behest of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, giving the recording particular importance for Bach scholarship and for listeners interested in newly identified repertory.
Live orchestral recordings · 2006
Mozart live symphonies
The label released two Mozart symphonies recorded live during a concert at London's Cadogan Hall. The recording was issued at the end of the concert, illustrating Soli Deo Gloria's interest in capturing performances close to the moment of live presentation rather than treating the catalogue solely as a studio-recording programme.
Historically informed orchestral recordings · 2008
Brahms and his Antecedents series
This project features the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in repertoire surrounding Brahms and his musical predecessors. Recordings were made at the Royal Festival Hall in London and the Salle Pleyel in Paris during the 2007 concert cycle. The first issue, released in 2008, coupled Brahms's Symphony No. 1 with music by Mendelssohn.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Santiago musical pilgrimage
Europe · International classical-music market
A recording project connected with a 2004 tour following the Camino de Santiago and presented as a musical pilgrimage.
Outcome. The project resulted in a Soli Deo Gloria release extending the label's pilgrimage-based recording concept beyond the Bach cantata series.
- 2000Bach Cantata Pilgrimage
United Kingdom · Europe · International classical-music market
A year-long performance and recording undertaking centred on Bach's church cantatas, performed by Gardiner, the Monteverdi Choir, and associated forces in settings connected with the liturgical calendar.
Outcome. The project generated the recordings that prompted the creation of Soli Deo Gloria and later became its principal catalogue series.
Brand decisions
2006
Release the first recording of Alles mit GottProduct launchBackground
The Bach Archive in Leipzig requested a recording of a newly discovered work associated with Bach.
Action taken
The label issued the first recording of Alles mit Gott.
Aftermath
The release expanded Soli Deo Gloria's role from documenting established repertoire to supporting the circulation of newly identified Bach material.
2005
Create a dedicated label for the Bach pilgrimage recordingsStrategyBackground
Deutsche Grammophon was prepared to release only a limited number of the Bach cantatas recorded during the 2000 pilgrimage.
Action taken
Soli Deo Gloria was established as a not-for-profit outlet for a substantially more complete release of the pilgrimage recordings.
Aftermath
The resulting Bach Cantata series became the label's defining catalogue and received major Gramophone recognition.
Recent events
- 2011
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series receives Gramophone special-achievement award[1]
Other
After nearly all of the pilgrimage's church cantatas had been released, the series was recognised with a Gramophone Award for special achievement.
- 2006
Soli Deo Gloria releases first recording of newly discovered Bach work[1]
Product launch
At the request of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, the label issued the first recording of Alles mit Gott, a newly discovered work associated with Johann Sebastian Bach.
- 2006
Live Mozart symphonies released after Cadogan Hall concert[1]
Product launch
The label released a recording of two Mozart symphonies captured live at London's Cadogan Hall at the conclusion of the concert.
- 2005
Bach Cantatas, Volume 1 wins Gramophone Record of the Year[1]
Other
Soli Deo Gloria's first release, Bach Cantatas, Volume 1, received the Record of the Year award at the Gramophone Awards.
Sources2 sources
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