Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco

Editorial Reviews
Paul McCreesh here re-creates part of a sacred concert ("spiritual recreation") known to have been held in 1608 in the Great Hall (with its famous Tintoretto frescoes) of the Scuola di San Rocco in Venice. The major item on the disc is Gabrieli's seven-choir, 33-part Magnificat, of which only the music for choirs one and two survives. (Hugh Keyte bases his very convincing reconstruction on Gabrieli's published 17-part Magnificat, which is a reduction of the larger work.) Other works on this magnificent record include the famous In ecclesiis for three choirs, the powerful Suscipe for six men's voices and six sackbuts, two solo motets for falsettist by the virtuoso singer Barbarino, and Gabrieli's sensuous Sonata for Three Violins. --Matthew Westphal

Amazon.com essential recording
The polychoral and antiphonal works of Giovanni Gabrieli sound best performed in the acoustics for which they were conceived, such as the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice, where this splendid collection was recorded. Whether in extroverted pieces like the Sonatas 18 and 20, or the introspective and harmonically rich Domine, Deus meus, the sounds that resonate between the notes are crucial to this composer's expression. Time and again one's ears perk up at Gabrieli's genius for blending... read more

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco, Music, Charles Pott, Donald Greig, Henry Wickham, Richard Savage, Paul McCreesh, Bartolomeo Barbarino, Karel Berman, Giovanni Gabrieli, David Hurley, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Timothy Roberts, Robert Horn, Stephen Harrold, Julian Clarkson, Robin Blaze, Simon Grant, Chamber, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Keyboard, Magnificat, Medieval/Renaissance Organ Music, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Renaissance Instrumental Polyphony, Renaissance Motet, Suite/Partita for Keyboard, Toccata for Keyboard

Average customer rating:

Bliss

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco

Gabrieli, the original surround sound performer

This is how you perform the music of Gabrieli!

Uneven in effect but tremendous performances noentheless

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco

Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Gabrieli, Giovanni | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Gabrieli in San Marco

The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

ASIN: B0000057FO
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Music For San Rocco: Toccata a 4
Music For San Rocco: In ecclesiis a 14
Music For San Rocco: Sonata No. 19 a 15
Music For San Rocco: Suscipe, clementissime Deus a 12
Music For San Rocco: Canzona No. 14 a 10
Music For San Rocco: Buccinate In neomenia tuba a 19
Music For San Rocco: Intonazione del nono tono
Music For San Rocco: Domine Dues meus a 6
Music For San Rocco: Audi, dulcis amica mea
Music For San Rocco: Sonata No. 21 con tre violini
Music For San Rocco: Ardens est cor meum
Music For San Rocco: Timor et tremor a 6
Music For San Rocco: Intonazione duodecimo tono
Music For San Rocco: Jubilate Deo a 10
Music For San Rocco: Sonata No. 18 a 14
Music For San Rocco: Misericordia tua, Domine a 12
Music For San Rocco: Sonata No. 20 a 22
Music For San Rocco: Magnificat a 33

Amazon.com essential recording

The polychoral and antiphonal works of Giovanni Gabrieli sound best performed in the acoustics for which they were conceived, such as the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice, where this splendid collection was recorded. Whether in extroverted pieces like the Sonatas 18 and 20, or the introspective and harmonically rich Domine, Deus meus, the sounds that resonate between the notes are crucial to this composer's expression. Time and again one's ears perk up at Gabrieli's genius for blending the most unlikely sonorities imaginable, such as six low voices and six sackbuts (early relatives of the trombone) in the extraordinary Suscipe clementissime. Although Gabrieli may have been the first "spatial" composer, or perhaps the first sound designer, he never indulges in fanciful effects for their own sake. The sonics manage to convey the music's spatial requirements without sacrificing clarity. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Bliss.......2006-10-23

This CDs sound quality is superb and highlights the antiphonal quality of the works.

This CD displays the range of Gabrieli, who is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated composers. There are pieces for every mood. From the triumphal "Jubilate Deo," to the dynamic "Magnificat," this collection does not disappoint. My favorite track has to be "Suscipe, Clementissime Deus." It starts off as very prayerful, introspective and pleading and blossoms into an outpouring of fervor toward the end when the singers exclaim, "Tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, to solus altissimus, Jesu Christe."

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco.......2005-08-02

I am huge fan of music from this time period and I have listened to countless composers that are able to create and compose stupendous and astounding music. Gabrieli is one those geniuses. Music for San Rocco is a splendid piece and I agree with Thomas Coryat whom wrote an amazing review at the time of when the piece was performed. Being a deeply devout Lutheran I love the lyrics and I love the message of the San Rocco celebrations. Listening to it reminds one of being in Sunday mass and I love this since Sunday is my favorite day of the week. The book-let is well done with a short piece that scans the history of this splendid work and has the lyrics in several languages. I am huge fan of renaisance art and the cover art is absolutely gorgeous. I can not say enough good things or give it enough accolades. This is simply put it sublime.

Gabrieli, the original surround sound performer.......2005-07-04

Being only marginally acquainted with the music of Gabrieli and his period, I have little to add to comments already made. I must confess that two discs worth of 16th century liturgical music runs a little long for me. I'll focus instead on the sound of the SACD version.

This was one of my first SACD purchases, and I chose it because I knew that Gabrieli wrote for multiple choirs situated in different sections of the church, and figured that, if the engineers did their jobs right, this could be a stunning demonstration disc.

It is.

Gabrieli's music is a natural of mutichannel reproduction. In Timothy Roberts' opening organ toccata, the sense of space in this recording is uncanny. "In ecclesiis" envelops the listener with front and back chorus and soloists whose voices soar with a fullness that we can usually only experience in a real basilica. The only thing missing is the upper reverberation that you get in a real church. If your rear speakers are elevated like mine are (I had to work within the limitations of my room--doors and such!), you may get some of that sense.

If you are at all interested in the music of Gabrieli, this is the recording to get. If you are set up for multichannel sound with an SACD player, be sure to get it in that format. To hear it with the separation and sonic detail of San Rocco, brings this very old music alive. The music was reportedly composed for the larger Saint Mark's Cathedral, but for recording purposes San Rocco was deemed preferable. The church itself is a beautiful instrument and is hard to capture faithfully in just two channels.

This is how you perform the music of Gabrieli!.......2003-11-05

There is little I can add to what the other reviewers have said about this tremendous recording. The performances are very good, the tempi are well chosen and the instruments are the rights ones.

There are many excellent contributions from individuals - Robin Blaze is positively heroic in Buccinate in neomenia tuba. The three violins in Sonata XXI con tre violini play this music with great sensuality. The cornettists are all first rate and so are the sackbut players.

It all sounds very good and the music is wonderful.

Let's just hope that the video of this recording is issued on DVD soon! (Let DGG know you wan them to do this!)

Uneven in effect but tremendous performances noentheless.......2003-01-23

In contrast with the previous reviewer, I find this group to be at their absolute best when presenting a reconstructed service. When a selection of "pure music" such as this CD is presented, I find myself getting bored with the evenness of sound.

The acoustic of the Scuola di San Rocco is much drier than that of a church - wooden flooring and all - and I find that the very large scale pieces (such as the closing Magnificat) lose much of their magnificence performed in this acoustic. I don't mean to say that it is not magnificent, only that it could be so much more so. The smaller, chamber-style pieces on the other hand sound superb here.

Customer Reviews:

An anomaly..........2006-08-11

I have been an avid follower of the Gabrieli Consort for some time, owning close to a dozen CDs by them alongside having seen them 3 or 4 times in concert. I purchased their recording of San Rocco with much anticipation....yet in spite of the consistent praise which this CD has received, I must confess that I was pretty disappointed with it. The dry acoustic perhaps contributes to this (a previous reviewer has made the same observation for the CD issue of this recording); but I believe that undoubtedly the biggest factor lies in the performances themselves, which at their worst are actually fairly ragged and unpolished by the Gabrieli Consort's usual standards. The brass playing in particular suffers from numerous lapses of intonation, as in the carefully orchestrated tutti of the Sonata à 22 (track 17) and the decidedly unstable opening of the Sonata à 14 (track 15) - they simply do not compare to the incredible performances of the same works given by the Taverner Players under Andrew Parrott ('Venetian Church Music', Virgin Veritas 561934-2). True, there are some good moments (Timor et tremor, the Barbarino works and the Sonata con tre violini in particular) but given that Gabrieli's music is so accessible in other, considerably more polished performances - including on other recordings by the Gabrieli Consort (particularly on the 'Venetian Easter Mass' and 'Venetian Coronation' issues) as well as by groups like Currende and Concerto Palatino - I personally would urge the interested listener to explore the current market first in advance of purchasing this one.

ANNOYING 2-DISC LAYOUT.......2006-05-12

What the product details do not tell you -- unlike the original CD issue, which is a single disc, this hybrid SACD issue is spread awkwardly across two discs:

Disc 1: 49:45
Disc 2: 28:30

I suppose a hybrid disc cannot hold as much music as a regular CD. At any rate, it is annoying to have to change discs halfway through the concert.

Stunning surround sonics at San Rocco.......2005-07-04

This was one of my first SACD purchases, and I chose it because I knew that Gabrieli wrote for multiple choirs situated in different sections of the church, and figured that, if the engineers did their jobs right, this could be a stunning demonstration disc.

It is.

Gabrieli's music is a natural of mutichannel reproduction. In Timothy Roberts' opening organ toccata, the aural sense of space is uncanny. "In ecclesiis" envelops the listener with front and back chorus and soloists whose voices soar with a fullness that we can usually only experience in a real basilica. The only thing missing is the upper reverberation that you get in a real church. If your rear speakers are elevated like mine are (I had to work within the limitations of my room--doors and such!), you may get some of that sense.

If you are at all interested in the music of Gabrieli, this is the recording to get. To hear it with the separation and sonic detail of San Rocco, brings this very old music alive. The music was reportedly composed for the larger Saint Mark's Cathedral, but for recording purposes San Rocco was deemed preferable. The church itself is a beautiful instrument and is hard to capture faithfully in just two channels.

Average customer rating:

underrated recording
Some flawed performances

The Feast of San Rocco, Venice 1608

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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

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

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ASIN: B000002APG
Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

Toccata - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Buccinate in neomenia tuba a 19 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Canzon XVII a 12 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Heu mihi - Dialogo a 4 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Sonata per il violino, cornetto e violone - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Dulcis Jesu patris imago Sonata con voce a 20: Dulcis Jesu patris imago - Sonata con voce a 20 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
O quam tu pulchra es - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Canzon in echo a 12 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Timor et tremor a 6 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Sonata per il cornetto e trombone - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Sonata con 3 violini - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Cantemus Domino - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Sonata XIX a 15 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
In ecclesiis a 14 - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO

Tracks:

Canzon V a 7 - Gabrieli
Jubilate Deo a 10 - Gabrieli
Salvum me fac, Deus - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Sonata XVIII a 14 - Gabrieli
Cantate Domino a 8 - Gabrieli
Sonata per il violino e violone - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Canzon primi toni a 10 - Gabrieli
Misericordia tua Domine a 12 - Gabrieli
Canzon X a 8 - Gabrieli
O sacrum convivium - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Toccata primi toni - Gabrieli
Magnificat a 33 - Gabrieli
Benedictus es Dominus a 8 - Gabrieli
Salve, o Regina - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO
Capriccio detto svegliatoio - FEAST OF SAN ROCCO

Amazon.com

This two-CD set has the same aim as the Gabrieli Consort & Players' "Music for San Rocco" disc on DG--the speculative recreation of a spectacular concert at Venice's Scuola di San Rocco in 1608. Indeed, both recordings include several of the same works, such as Gabrieli's seven-choir Magnificat and his Sonata for three violins. However, the overlap is not great, and both performances are so good that there's no way to choose between them. Roland Wilson, with two discs at his disposal, naturally includes more music; among the highlights are beautiful solo motets by Alessandro Grandi and two gorgeous sonatas (for violin solo and violin/cornett duo) by G. P. Cima. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

underrated recording.......2004-02-21

Just some comments on this recording: The Musica Fiata Koeln sound is pretty close to the sound I love in late renaissance sacred music. The brass players don't all constantly blend together as one homogeneous background sound; instead individual lines come in and out naturally helping to move the music along. I personally enjoy David Cordier's falsetto voice because of its distinct timbre adding flavor to the sound; just as I like the nasal timbre of the cornettos distinguishing themselves from the sackbutts.

The Cima pieces are all beautiful idyllic pieces and played with religious sincerely (the playing reminds me very much of Andrew Parrot's Monteverdi 1610 Vesper recording). A nice touch is the inclusion of a Gabrieli piece played on solo organ. Quite nice to hear the organ shine after it has been used as continuo for most of the recording.

I highly recommend this recording especially if you are into the multi-choral one voice per part concept or if you like the sound of Musica Fiata Koeln. Incidently Roland Wilson is a famous cornetto maker; 6 of the 9 cornettists on this recording are playing his instruments.

Some flawed performances.......2003-06-18

This is a fascinating set of two discs which sets out to recapture the sound of the Feast of San Rocco as it might have been celebrated in Venice in 1608. There's plenty of Gabrieli, Grandi and Cima with lesser known names like Barbarino and Castaldi -- the rather better known Monteverdi also makes an appearance in 'Salve, o regina'.

I'm not acquainted with the Gabrieli Consort's disc canvassing the same festival, but I have to say that this is a rather uneven set of discs. The central idea -- massive festival music -- is well realised. There are also some fine moments in the singing and playing including the Gabrieli sonata for three violins, Grandi's 'Salvum me' (superbly sung by Harry van der Kamp); the best track of these discs, conceptually and musically, is Gabrieli's Sonata XVIII a 14 which has an impressive architecture. But there is also some fairly hideous singing (most of it from David Cordier who sounds dreadful in In ecclesiis) and some out of tune brass playing which spoils some of the tracks. I keep coming back to these discs, though, almost in spite of myself -- the music is just that impressive.

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