The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Venice was a good place to be in the 17th century if you liked to hang out in church--not that you had much choice in those days. Gabrieli's reputation rests on his "polychoral" compositions: works for several choirs, a choir being any size group of voices or instruments. For example, a sacred composition for three choirs might have two brass groups and one chorus, or two choruses and one brass ensemble. The idea was to keep things flexible to allow for changing local conditions. The result, in any case, was a magnificent "question and answer" style of writing, in which great blocks of harmony challenged each other from opposite sides of San Marco Cathedral. If this sort of thing intrigues you, then you owe it to yourself to hear this terrific collection. It's a cosmic experience. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Duodecimi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata Octavi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 27
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarti Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 28
Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonate Pian'e Forte
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Primi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 1
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Noni Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 2
Giovanni Gabrieli: Primo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Secondo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Terzo E Quarto Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 1 La Spiritata
Giovanni Gabrieli: Ottavo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Nono Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Decimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 3 Intonazioni D'organo
Giovanni Gabrieli: Undicesimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Duodecimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 4
Giovanni Gabrieli: Fantasia In The Sixth Tone
Giovanni Gabrieli: Tocata In D Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Prima In G Major
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Seconda In C Major
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Terza In A Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarta In G Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quinta In G Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Toccata In G Major

Amazon.com

Venice was a good place to be in the 17th century if you liked to hang out in church--not that you had much choice in those days. Gabrieli's reputation rests on his "polychoral" compositions: works for several choirs, a choir being any size group of voices or instruments. For example, a sacred composition for three choirs might have two brass groups and one chorus, or two choruses and one brass ensemble. The idea was to keep things flexible to allow for changing local conditions. The result, in any case, was a magnificent "question and answer" style of writing, in which great blocks of harmony challenged each other from opposite sides of San Marco Cathedral. If this sort of thing intrigues you, then you owe it to yourself to hear this terrific collection. It's a cosmic experience. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Antiphonal Masterpiece.......2007-05-16

This recording unifies arguably the 3 best brass sections from American Brass orchestras in a performance of the antiphonal music of Giovanni Gabrieli. The Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland brass sections are used here and they work together as groups as well as they ever did with their corresponding orchestras. This was recorded without conductor, rehearsal, or even a tuning note, however, this is irrelevant when looking at the result. Given performers of the caliber of Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, and Gilbert Johnson it is little wonder that this fine quality could be achieved with minimum preparation. I have looked at a number of other examples of this music including recordings by the Empire Brass and the Canadian Brass (and friends) and neither comes close to the emotion and beauty of this performance.

The different groups played directed off the vocal and instrumental parts written by Gabrieli making any adjustment for transposition in their head on sight, thus allowing them all to be as much focused on the music as possible as they were not looking at 3rd generation arrangements which always tend to leave out markings. These possibly were the best brass performers in America at the time and their interpretations are unified through exceptional listening across the ensemble for intonation, style, and tempo. A slightly non-justifiable reason that I hold for this album's excellence is the raw energy and beauty of this unprepared collaboration. In the time of Gabrieli, rehearsals were rare, and musicians would, on a daily basis, sit down and perform music that they hadn't studied, and while these are not the original instruments for which Gabrieli wrote, the quick pacing of this production (one weekend) to me lends more on the positive side for the enjoyment of the listener.

In short, this is a remarkable collaboration of some of the best performers on fantastic Renaissance literature and worthy of owning merely for that fact, and when combined with live and engaging performances where the music is played expertly from one section to the next off of each individual, this album becomes a gem for anyone with an interest in the brass ensemble sound.

All-star brass.......2007-01-17

If you like antiphonal music or even just music, it doesn't get any better! With the best brass players in the world playing Gabrieli, you couldn't want more musically!

Instant playing.......2006-07-11

I very like the diversity of instruments used in this recording, and it is shure something special to have all the first brass of so many US orchestras together. But they play on first sight, without preparation, and this results in lack of precision, it is just not the right kind of music to do "ad-hoc". They would do very well with Jazz, but not with Gabrieli. Nevertheless the performance is by far better then the one of Empire Brass. Overall I would recommend the complete Gabrieli Works on Naxos played by London Brass. They lack diversity of instruments because they play on Trumpets and Trombones only, but there is the precision adn musicality.

A VERY special album.......2005-08-03

If you've been into brass for 40 years, you probably already know that this is a very unusual gathering of the top of the top!
My only complaint is with the web site sound samples being MONO !
This album is in STEREO and really portrays the placement of the 3 major antiphonal quintets! You won't be disapointed.

I think Gabrieli would like this album.......2005-04-28

The purists have a good point - this recording is not historically accurate. In Gabrieli's time most written music was for sacred events. I'm sure the church officials would have objected to the volume level and intensity of this recording. Composers in the Renaissance and Baroque periods were pretty much slaves to their employers. I think that if Gabrieli had present day instruments and full performance control he would have performed his works differently.
If you love quality brass music read the five star reviews and buy this album!

Glory of Gabrieli: Antiphonal Music Brass Choirs

Average customer rating:

Astonishing
Togetherness? What band camp did you just roll out of?
Simply marvelous! A Must Have!
The Glory of Sloppy Ensemble

Glory of Gabrieli: Antiphonal Music Brass Choirs
Empire Brass & Gusts , and Smedvig
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000075A7C
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Tracks:

Canzon Duo Decimi Toni - Chester Schmitz
Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2 - Chester Schmitz
Canzon VII - Thomas Rolfs
Canzon IX - Chester Schmitz
Gloria - Empire Brass Quintet
Pavane Di Angleterre - Empire Brass Quintet
Galliard - Empire Brass Quintet
In Nomine XII - Empire Brass Quintet
Lauda Jerusalem - Empire Brass Quintet
Vos Amici Mei Estis - Chester Schmitz
Canzon XVI - Empire Brass Quintet
Concerto Primo: La Battaglia - Chester Schmitz
Credidi (Tertii Toni) - Empire Brass Quintet
Ola, O Che Bon Eccho - Chester Schmitz
Sonate XIII From Canzone E Sonate - Empire Brass Quintet
Canzon XI - Chester Schmitz
Veni Redemptor I - Empire Brass Quintet
Non Vos Relinguam - Empire Brass Quintet
Canzon A 12 - Empire Brass Quintet
Canzon A 12 Echo - Ronald Barron

Customer Reviews:

Astonishing.......2003-02-11

Absolutely the most breathtaking recording yet of Gabrielli, in a very crowded field of superb choices. Telarc's engineers no doubt are deserving of praise, but the playing by the Empire Brass is just stunning & your speakers will shake on deep notes at times. This fine ensemble has surpassed the already World-Class recordings of these same works of Gabrielli by the Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble, the London Brass, and even the fine recordings by the Canadian Brass. Again, I simply cannot say enough about Empire Brass' performances & Telarc's recording methods. Don't hesitate; this is the one Gabrielli disc to buy.

Togetherness? What band camp did you just roll out of?.......2003-02-05

This is, quite simply, the finest brass ensemble recording to be released in the last decade. In addition to several radiant choir pieces by Gabrieli, this CD also features the handsome Renaissance polyphony of such English masters as Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. But the finest piece, perhaps appropriately, is an anonymous Gloria from 1500, which evokes that ageless celebration of the divine with a solemn religious grandeur that has seldom been equalled.

Simply marvelous! A Must Have!.......2003-01-08

This CD is a must have for anybody who likes late Renaissance or Early Baroque music, or just enjoys the sound of brass! The Gabrieli pieces sing with such power and beauty, one can only wonder what Gabrieli or Palestrina might think of now if they heard such a wonderful recording! Equal balance among all voices allows the feeling of a small chamber group, instead of a double (or sometimes triple) brass choir. What a great CD for listening to for relaxation or for just pleasure! This CD, in my opinion, rivals the Canadian Brass CD of Antiphonal music for brass that came out about ten or so years ago. Both are must haves!

The Glory of Sloppy Ensemble.......2003-01-04

In short, this CD is abysmal. Ensemble precision and togetherness is extraordinarily sloppy, the playing styles from choir to choir do not match at all, balance is abominable (Choir 1 is 'in your face' while Choirs 2 & 3 sound like they're a football fields away), and the most reverberant space in the universe could not hide the fact that Rolf's chops sound fried from the very first note of the CD!! What is Telarc thinking anyways??? Don't they know that it's over???

Tracks:

Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin
Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin
Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin
Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin
Vespers Of The Blessed Virgin
CANZON PER SONARE: #1 'LA SPIRITATA'
CANZON IN DOUBLE ECHO
CANZON QUARTI TONI (A 15)
CANZON V
CANZON PER SONARE #2
CANZON XVI
CANZON VI
CANZON XII
CANZON PER SONARE #3
CANZON X
CANZON II
CANZON XIV
CANZON PER SONARE #4
CHRISTMAS VESPERS: LAUDATE DOMINUM (PS. 116)
CHRISTMAS VESPERS: CHRISTE REDEMPTOR OMNIUM (HYMN)

Customer Reviews:

CBS MASTERWORKS.......2006-03-29

If you will scroll up and take a peek at the image of the album cover you will see a nice, pretty ribbon and seal strung across the top right corner of this album. This is the CBS Masterworks "Seal of Approval," so to speak. This is Sony Classical's way of saying "Buy this album- we think it's really special." When I see that seal I immediatley buy the album, whether it be a Mozart or a Gabrieli. I have always, always been pleased with their recommendations and this album is no exception.

For Best Results, Play it Loud.......2003-10-09

If you have any doubts about this album, listen to the sample from Monteverdi's "Vespers of the Blessed Virgin: Deus in Adjutorium." The opening is, of course, meditative; the next 15 seconds are revelatory. It is the perfect album to play on a bright Christmas morning or a gray afternoon.

It may seem sacrilegious to classical music listeners, but I love to hear the Monteverdi selections played loud!

Very Fine Performances.......2002-01-24

I purchased this recording because I am a devotee of the Canadian Brass - having studied with the CB of old many years ago at the Banff School of Fine Arts (Alberta). I will admit that when I bought it, I was tremendously concerned about the stylistic matching of the players from the two orchestras compared to the CB. Happily, I have found the sytles to match and blend well, and therefore I was able to enjoy the CD for the overall musical impressions of the fine performances - and without the distractions of hearing disparate and inconsistent styles.

I have subbed in the Vancouver Symphony brass section (albeit years ago) and I know that Akiyama likes loud brass playing. (Akiyama was the music driector with the VSO for many years.) On this CD he certainly brings out some excellent sounds from the virtuoso performers. The style of playing is probably too heavy and powerful - with the FFs being positively massive - given that this is 16th century music. On the other hand, maybe the players of that era would have played out with bigger sounds if they weren't restricted by the instruments used back then.

The highlights of the CD to me are the Monteverdi pieces, especially the first 5 tracks. They are glorious and mesmerizing. Fantastic playing. (Neil Balm was also a student at Banff with me and he sounds as good as the rest of the fine trumpet players. Way to go, Neil!!!) The Gabrieli pieces are executed very well, but perhaps my ears have just heard too much of them. Another favorite album of mine is the London Brass "Gabrieli in Venice" (I did an Amazon review for that one, too) and I prefer the lighter reverb on that CD compared to this one. Plus, I still think that some of the Gabrieli pieces are so over-recored and overplayed that they actually prove to be detrimental to the overall impact of the album.

Don't get the wrong impression, though: this is a very fine CD. The performances are stellar, especially (again) the first 5 tracks. WOW! What a great sound! It is a wonderful depiction of what antiphonal brass choir playing should be. You'll be captivated.

The top brass players in the World.......1998-12-14

There are many different types of brass music available. This collection of works by Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi represent the highest calling of an art form, the ultimate expression of music. Since I am a brass player, the players listed from the other orchestra brass sections is a who's who of world class brass musicians: Phillip Smith , Principal Trumpet NYP, Charles Schleuter, Principal Trumpet BSO, Charles Kavalovski, Principal French Horn, BSO, and so on and so on. I personally think the Canadian Brass are excellent classically-trained musicians who have overdone their popular mass appeal formula just too many times, worn into the orchestra tour circuit like an obnoxious, catchy popular music tune. If they desire to, they have the ability to produce some of the best serious brass music available, as clean and pure as the best of the top orchestra's brass elite, as this CD demonstrates. The Vespers of the Blessed Virgin represents some of the finest brass playing and arranging known, with colors and balances fresh with new meaning everytime I hear them. This CD is the favorite CD in my entire collection, and I very much recommend this CD as a fine collection to any library. Although copyrighted 1989, this CBS Masterworks recording is truly "timeless" in its appeal.

Great Performances: The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

Average customer rating:

Great Performances: The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B00077F97K
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Average customer rating:

Great sound ,but sadly only 2.0 Stereo
A trap for the unwary
The original Super-band
Excellent Transfer of a Landmark Recording
Clarity

The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli [SACD]

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B00004SH1W
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Customer Reviews:

Great sound ,but sadly only 2.0 Stereo.......2006-04-15

I was pleased with this SACD recording,however it would have earned 5 stars if it had been multi-channel(ie. 5.1).
Edd Kerr; iegolden@shaw.ca

A trap for the unwary.......2004-12-10

This CD may well be lovely - that's why I ordered it. Unhappily, it is recorded in a special custom proprietory SONY format ("Super Audio") which (according to Sony themselves ; I phoned) cannot be played except on a new special Sony player ($279 locally), which I don't have. The catalogue information in Amazon, above, only says "Enhanced", which means nothing, and indeed describes the format as "Audio CD", which is incorrect. It does not indentify the disc as a Sony product. The correct description would be something like "Sony Proprietory Super Audio CD". It is in-compatible with everything else (even my new Dell computer!).

Buyer Beware, and Amazon should do a better job of CD format description and warning.

The original Super-band.......2003-10-03

I was a music student at university when this first came out (and no, I'm not a brass player). This recording created an absolute sensation. We all knew, or knew of, all these musicians - they were individual superstars of the classical world - and we had spent hours listening to them and debating their relative merits and that of their orchestras. Now here they were all together! It defied belief.

I think I wore my first copy of the LP flat, I played it so much. 35 years later I can still hear it if I close my eyes.

Few of us knew anything about Gabrieli, so our admiration for the incredible musicianship on display also brought us into the whole new world of Renaissance music. (Younger people probably couldn't believe this part, but the Early Music revolution was still some ways off. This was all new then.)

All the above comments apply to the Gabrieli part of the recording. Until I bought it and opened it up I didn't realise that Sony was giving us the other [Glorious Sound of Brass] LP in the same package. I personally don't find that portion of the disc nearly as successful... it's good, but not a standout. Doesn't matter: the Gabrieli alone is worth the price of admission.

Sound is excellent - better than the CD of course, but also even better than the LP - much more apparent sound stage and the subtle differences between the various players' sounds are more readily noticed.

[One point of argument with the only low rating... it's a brass record. Says so right on the cover. Picture of all those cats with trumpets and such. Why are you surprised? Seems a bit perverse to criticise a brass record for having too much brass. Don't want an hour of brass? Buy something else. This isn't supposed to be an SACD demo disc - it's about the music, silly.]

Excellent Transfer of a Landmark Recording.......2002-08-27

After reading the above reviews I felt strongly compelled to add my two cents. Let's put this recording in its proper context: the Gabrieli portion of the release is perhaps the greatest symphonic brass recording ever made. There have been other outstanding brass recordings since the late 1960's, many making use of digital technology, but none can touch these performances for the sheer caliber of playing. The Gabrieli works capture the brass sections of three of the five class A orchestras at the peak of their game, at the end of the tyrant/conductor era when all five orchestras--especially the brass sections-sounded so remarkably different (sadly not so true today). I grew up with these recordings and wore out several LP copies--like so many others who aspired to be orchestral brass players.

The SACD transfer is the best version of the recordings yet. Played side-by-side with the regular CD release, the SACD has markedly superior separation, placement and clarity. It also unfortunately shows all the cosmetic flaws of the original analog recording. Microphone distortion in high volume passages and reverberation at the end of some the works (Andrew Kazdin, what were you thinking?) is all the more glaring on the SACD disc. However, I can more than live with these detractions considering the transparency of the sound on the new release.

Unless you're a brass player or serious fan, listening to this entire recording in one sitting may be a bit much (this is, after all, a brass recording). Instead I recommend listening to tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 13 to get the best idea of the disc.

I have other SACD recordings that sound better, but none that I enjoy more than this one. If you're a fan of brass music, this release is an absolute must. Six stars.

Clarity.......2002-01-26

Very nice and clear, if you like brass, buy this disc.

Venice Preserved: Bassano, Gabrieli, Monteverdi

Average customer rating:

Venice Preserved: Bassano, Gabrieli, Monteverdi

Manufacturer: MHS Musical Heritage Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000B9F9JW

Product Description

Contents: 1. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni (3:30) 2. Giovanni Gabrieli: Omnes Gentes (4:17) 3. Augustine Bassano: Pavan (3:39) 4. Giovanni Bassano: Canite Tuba (3:25) 5. Jeronimo Bassano: Fantasia a 5/3 (2:52) 6. Giovanni Bassano: Frais et galliard (2:56) 7. Giovanni Bassano: Deus qui beatum Marcum (4:01) 8. Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon duo decimi toni a 10 (2:35) 9. Giovanni Gabrieli: O Magnum mysterium (3:54) 10. Claudio Monteverdi: Confitebor tibi (6:41) 11. Jeronimo Bassano: Fantasia a 5/1 (2:44) 12. Giovanni Gabrieli: O Domine Jesu Christe (4:13) 13. Andrea Gabrieli: Jubilate Deo (3:30) 14. Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata pian e forte (5:00) 15. Claudio Monteverdi: Beatus Vir (8:28)

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