Venetian Vespers (Monteverdi, Rigatti, Grandi, Cavalli) / McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort & Players

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Paul McCreesh's second major recording (and second Gramophone Award winner) reconstructs Vespers for the Feast of the Annunciation at San Marco circa 1643, using music by Monteverdi and contemporaries including Cavalli, Grandi, and Rigatti. The music is less dense and lavishly scored than on A Venetian Coronation, but more virtuosic and varied--ranging from Finetti's sweet, languid "O Maria, quæ rapis" for two falsettists and Monteverdi's lively "Laudate Dominum" for solo tenor, to Marini's sensuous sonata for three violins and Monteverdi's spectacular "Lætatus sum" for six singers, two violins, two trombones, and bassoon over a repeated four-note bass. There is so much excitement here that even the opening of "Lætatus sum"--four measures of only the repeating bass--shimmers with energy. --Matthew Westphal

Venetian Vespers (Monteverdi, Rigatti, Grandi, Cavalli) / McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort & Players, Music, Research Composer, Giovanni Antonio Rigatti, Alessandro Grandi, Claudio Monteverdi, Adriano Banchieri, Giacomo Finetti, Pietro Francesco Cavalli, Anonymous, Gregorian Chant, Biagio Marini, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Charles Daniels, Paul McCreesh, Alison Wray, Jonathan Best, Tessa Bonner, Angus Smith, Peter Harvey, Robert Horn, Paula Chateauneuf, Timothy Roberts, Susan Hemington Jones, Fred Jacobs, Celia Harper, Charles Pott, Florian Deuter, Baroque Motet, Chamber, Chamber Music, Choral, Choral Music, Classical, Classical Collections-Artist Desc., Classical Music, Keyboard, Magnificat, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous Music, Motet, Music for Keyboard, Psalm Setting, Renaissance Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard, Sacred Choral Music
Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610/Venetian Vespers
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Just beautiful
  • wonderful
  • A reasonable bargain(?)
  • Punctilious Research and Performance Practice
  • Easily the best recording of the Vespers
 Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610/Venetian Vespers

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by MonteverdiAll Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
MotetsMotets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
$7.99 and Under$7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
All Classical Music BlowoutAll Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Monteverdi, ClaudioMonteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott
  2. Josquin Desprez: Motets & Chansons
  3. Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli, Missa Aeterna
  4. Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Rolfe Johnson, Dawson, von Otter, Argenta, M. Nichols, Tomlinson, Chance, Baird; Gardiner
  5. Bach: Magnificat; Easter Oratorio

ASIN: B000031WJB
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

  1. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Versiculus, Canto Gregoriano: Deus In Adiutorium
  2. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Responsorium: Domine Ad Adiuvandum Me Festina
  3. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona, Canto Gregoriano
  4. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Psalmus I: Psalmus 109: Dixit Dominus
  5. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Con: Nigra Sum
  6. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona II, Canto Gregoriano: Maria Virgo Assumpta Est
  7. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Psalmus II: Psalmus 112: Laudate Pueri
  8. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Con: Pulchra Es
  9. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona III, Canto Gregoriano: In Odorem Unguentorum Tuorum...
  10. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Psalmus III: Psalmus 121: Laetatus Sum
  11. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Son
  12. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona IV, Canto Gregoriano: Benedicta Filia Tua Domino
  13. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Psalmus IV: Psalmus 126: Nisi Dominus
  14. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Con: Audi Coelum
  15. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona V, Canto Gregoriano: Pulchra Es Et Decora, Filia...
  16. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Psalmus IV:: Psalmus V: Psalmus 147: Lauda Jerusalem Dominum
  17. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Son
  18. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Capitulum, Canto Gregoriano: In Omnibus Requiem Quaesivi
  19. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Hymnus: Ave Maris Stella
  20. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Versus Et Responsorium
  21. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona VI, Canto Gregoriano: Hodie Maria Virgo Caelos Ascendit
  22. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Son Sopra Sancta Maria

Tracks:

  1. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Magnificat
  2. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Oratio, Canto Gregoriano: Dominus Vobiscum
  3. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Versus, Canto Gregoriano: Dominus Vobiscum
  4. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Con: Duo Seraphim
  5. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Antiphona Beatae Mariae Virginis: Salve Regina
  6. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Versus Et Responsorium, Canto Gregoriano: Ora Pro Nobis
  7. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Oratio, Canto Gregoriano: Domine Vobiscum
  8. Vespro Della Beata Vergine 1610: Conclusio, Canto Gregoriano: Divinum Auxilium Maneat Semper...
  9. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Psalmus 109: Dixit Dominus
  10. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Psalmus 110: Confitebor Tibi Domine
  11. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Psalmus 111: Beatus Vir
  12. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Psalmus 112: Laudate Pueri
  13. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Psalmus 116: Laudate Dominum
  14. Selva Morale E Spirituale 1641: Salve Regina

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Just beautiful.......2007-03-20

This CD captures both the gutsy energy and the ethereal beauty of Monteverdi's sacred choral music. I have neither performed nor even listened to his music for a long time, and this CD re-awakened me to its richness and compelling quality. There is a reason why we consider Monteverdi a "great" composer, and this CD shows it.

5 out of 5 stars wonderful.......2005-09-28

The singing and playing on this recording are truly delightful. The overall concept of the work is good. I love this recording.

But, like too many recordings of the vespers, it includes gregorian chant antiphons sung between the movements. Now either Monteverdi wrote this piece as a "piece" to be performed, in which case I believe the solo movements were meant to take the place of the traditional chant, or it is a collection of wonderful psalm settings and other sacred movements, in which case what is the point of adding music not written by Monteverdi? The same argument goes for the instrumental sonatas thrown in here. My personal belief is that Monteverdi, the first great opera composer, wrote these psalm settings over a period of time, and then put them together with the other movements to make a unified whole for publication. The other recording I own of this work, Gardiner's first recording of it, has a much nicer flow because there is no chant.

I must say that I love the clarity this version gives with one voice on a line, and I play both cd's often.

4 out of 5 stars A reasonable bargain(?).......2005-07-02

Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 are increasingly becoming to be seen as a landmark work in the history of Western music. This is one of the most outstanding works of the late Renaissance composers of the Seconda Prattica (Second Pratice) amongst whom Monteverdi - one of the fathers of opera - was arguably the most forward looking. In fact Monteverdi is so forward looking he is often described as being an early Baroque composer. Elements of the work are highly conservative such as the widespread writing in multiple parts - a practice that had already become increasingly unusual by this time (and totally anachronistic by Bach's time), yet the entire work contains a fantastic profusion of colourful music and an instrumental ensemble which is varied to match the mood of each piece. In this regard his music can be compared to the paintings of Titian with its typical Venetian overflow of exuberance and colourfulness, that contrasts markedly with the Northern sobriety of the sacred works of Bach. This a work of unbridled sensuality and yet of luxurious refinement.

I have listened to this version of the Monteverdi Vespers for many years and have always somehow been left feeling partially dissatisfied by it despite the lavish praise heaped upon it by many reviewers over the years. Certainly it has it moments of greatness, yet I wish the reading as a whole would cohere more. Although the singers here are all stars, a star studded legion of singers do not an ensemble make. So I have waited years to find a recording that might surplant it. Years went by and recordings came and went without anything really grabbing my attention. Then recently I discovered a recording that seems to have eluded me: Masaaki Suzuki with the Bach Collegium Japan on the Swedish boutique label Bis (ASIN B00005K2BK).

Of course the virtues of their Bach are well known and many a reviewer has written their story of at first ridiculing the thought of a Japanese period instrument group to then being completely floored by their performances again and again. Suzuki seems to have everything I have every felt was missing in the Parrott, even if here and there Parrott has some altenative insights (the Nisi Dominus is an example where Suzuki seems dangerously over-exuberant!), these moments are rare exceptions. Suzuki fully captures that uninhibited Venetian exuberance of the writing bringing the whole together as a whole rather than just having sporadic moments. Still, the lush modal harmonies seem just that much more succulent and the resultant expressive impact is incomparable. For someone who has tolerated the Parrott for almost ten years the weight of burden being lifted was just huge!

For the price I guess if you need a budget version, then the Parrott is now competitive especially if you prefer your Monteverdi sung one to a part. However, the BIS recording for Suzuki is, as usual from them, just stunning. In the BIS recording there is far greater spaciousness and air around the instruments and voices, with timbre coming through in all its riches without being bleached. The BIS recoridng is fair audiophile quality (it is BIS policy to avoid compression devices or blatant post-production processing), that renders it first choice to anyone for whom recorded sound quality dictates preferences. The EMI recording for Parrott sounds like early 16-bit digital sound at its thinnest and boxiest - a fact exacerbated by the glassiness that comes with Virgin sound transfers (Virgin desperately need to review their remastering and digital transfer equipment/methods). You certainly get what you pay for.

So take your pick - the cheap and easy option of Parrott or the rich fullness of Suzuki's Dionysian exuberance. Also there is always Rinaldo Alessandrino version for those insistent on hearing this sung one to a part - the sound there is even better than on the BIS.

5 out of 5 stars Punctilious Research and Performance Practice.......2004-12-29

Recorded in 1983 and 1984 at All Saints’ Church, Tooting (London), this double CD is still something of a classic, presenting Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers in punctilious historical performance practice, basically using, despite the large forces involved, soloists to perform most of the material. Together with Hugh Keyte, Andrew Parrott researched the history of church music in Venice at the end of the 16th and the first half of the 17th centuries, and then arranged the Vespers in a form which, although certainly not the only one possible, would have been acceptable for sacred service at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice during the first years of Monteverdi’s tenure there. The one unhistorical aspect of the recording is the use of female sopranos, but as Andrew Parrott points out, the sound of "castrati" just cannot be reproduced today, and he feels that using boys or countertenors would not be as appropriate as using genuine soprano voices.

This is, of course, a very British production, and a large number of Britain’s early music stars (at least from the early 80’s) were involved in the production. There are solo passages sung by Emma Kirkby, David Thomas, Nigel Rogers, Tessa Bonner, Evelyn Tubb, Emily Van Evera, Margaret Philpot, Rogers Covey-Crump, Andrew King, Richard Wistreich and others, and the Taverner Players count some of Britain’s most distinguished period instrument players among their ranks: John Holloway, Micaela Comberti, Trevor Jones, Mark Caudle, Susan Sheppard, Jennifer Ward-Clarke, Francis Baines, Bruce Dickey, Lisa Beznosiuk, Rachel Beckett, Anthony Bailes, Nigel North, John Toll … and so the list goes on. If you are a fan of the British early music scene, you will have heard of all these names and will know what a wonderful treat awaits you when you turn your CD player on.

And a wonderful treat it is indeed, although the opening Gregorian chant with its empty church echo does sound a little strange. But from Track 2 onwards, the whole begins to sound glorious, a continuous stream of delightful vocal and instrumental passages with all the wonderful typically Monteverdian sounds that early music fans have come to appreciate. Special mention for Nigel Rogers, Andrew King and Joseph Cornwell who offer a superb “Duo seraphim” without the high-voiced contortions of a René Jacobs. Of the female soloists, only Emily Van Evera sounds a little sharp on occasion, but that is something that can be accepted in view of the total quality of the recording. Personally, I have come to love and appreciate this version a little more than Philip Pickett’s 90’s version for Decca’s early music imprint L’Oiseau-Lyre, where the sound is never quite so convincing as here.

5 out of 5 stars Easily the best recording of the Vespers.......2004-03-13

Andrew Parrott's recording is rightly considered by critics and listeners alike as THE recording of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610. Using minimal forces, the individual voices layering upon one another can be clearly heard, not drowned out into a mass of sound as in many "fuller" recordings. The only other "five-star" recording of the Vespers is the Konrad Junghanel with Cantus Colln.
If I could only own one recording of this work, the Andrew Parrott would me the one.
Venetian Vespers - Works By Monteverdi, Rigatti, Grandi & Cavalli
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Holy music
 Venetian Vespers - Works By Monteverdi, Rigatti, Grandi & Cavalli
Mccreesh , and Gabrieli Consort & Players
Manufacturer: Archiv/Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000026CKI
Release Date: 1999-05-10

Tracks:

  1. Intonationi D'organo: Excerpt
  2. Deus In Adiutorium
  3. Sacrae Symphoniae, Book 1: Angelus Domini Descendit
  4. Dixit Dominus
  5. Motetti (18): O Intemerata
  6. Motetti (16) Con Le Letanie Della Beata Vergine: Beata Es Maria
  7. Laudate Pueri
  8. Suonata Prima
  9. Beatam Me Dicent
  10. Laetatus Sum A 6
  11. O Maria, Quae Rapis Corda Hominum
  12. Haec Est Quae Nescavit
  13. Nisi Dominus
  14. Dialogo Secondo
  15. Ante Thronum
  16. Lauda Jerusalem
  17. O Quam Tu Pulchra Es
  18. Praeambulum For Organ
  19. Chapter: Ecce Virgo
  20. Deus Qui Mundum Crimine Iacentem
  21. Ave Maria, Dominus Tecum
  22. Spiritus Sanctus
  23. Magnificat
  24. Sonata Con Tre Violini In Eco
  25. Collect: Dominus Vobiscum - Deus, Qui De Beatae Mariae
  26. Dismissal: Dominus Vobiscum - Benedicamus Domino
  27. Laudate Dominum
  28. Intonazione For Organ
  29. Salve Regina

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Holy music.......2005-10-16

Venice, once the most powerful city in the world due to its position in trade routes and as a nexus for military activities between the East and West, was also a leading centre for the arts and music for generations. As often happens, the cultural influence of the city remained strong long after the political and economic power was gone. So strong was the influence of Venice at this time that musicians and artists of other nations came to Venice to study, and carried back the influence to their home countries. One of the towering figures of this history was Claudio Monteverdi, who along with his many compositions sacred and secular, is credited with the first opera, 'L'Orfeo'. Monteverdi's compositions form the heart of this collection, which is designed as would be a Vespers service in St. Mark's Basilica in 1643.

Monteverdi is the leading light in this collection, but other composers of the time are also featured. The great Giovanni Gabrieli is acknowledged not only in the opening piece, but also in the name of the performers: the Gabrieli Consort and Players, under the direction of Paul McCreesh. Other composers featured include Rigatti, Grandi, Banchieri, Finetti, Cavalli, Marini, and Fasolo. The service of Vespers at St. Mark's was an elaborate affair, enhanced with extraliturgical motets and instrumental music, according to McCreesh. This was not according to standard liturgical practice, but was typical Venetian practice, where the Vespers became a very popular event. The Doge regularly attended the service.

This recording includes musical settings and plainchant from the time. While St. Mark's had a choir and consort of players totaling as many as 30 people each, usually services would only require about half that number. The choir would have had castrati as part of the vocal ensemble; that vocal range has been provided here by female sopranos and male falsettists.

Paul McCreesh formed the Gabrieli Consort and Players while still a student at Manchester University in the 1980s. Since then, the group and conductor have gone on to international awards and acclaim, specialising in music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, which this particular disc fits by being done at the mid-point of the transition between the two.

This is a glorious, two-disc collection, done in a wonderful form of reconstructing what an actual service would be like. It is a brilliant performance, with graceful vocal and instrumental blending and strong tones of the spirit of music.
I Hear You Calling Me
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		I Hear You Calling Me

    Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Foster, StephenFoster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    Godard, BenjaminGodard, Benjamin | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by HandelAll Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by MascagniAll Works by Mascagni | Mascagni, Pietro | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by OffenbachAll Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by RachmaninovAll Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    DivertimentosDivertimentos | Serenades & Divertimentos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Baroque (c.1600-1750)Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Modern & 20th CenturyModern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    ItalianItalian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Folk SongsFolk Songs | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
    Irish FolkIrish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
    NostalgiaNostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Celtic | International | Styles | Music
    IrelandIreland | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B0000Y37EW
    Release Date: 2004-03-09

    Tracks:

    1. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
    2. The Sunshine Of Your Smile
    3. Macushla
    4. The Bard Of Armagh
    5. Come Into The Garden, Maud
    6. Turn Ye To Me
    7. Angels Guard Thee ('Berceuse')
    8. I'll Sing The Songs Of Araby
    9. Venetian Song
    10. Flirtation
    11. Since You Went Away (Seems Lak' To Me)
    12. Dear Old Pal Of Mine
    13. Dream Once Again
    14. A Brown Bird Singing
    15. When You And I Were Young, Maggie
    16. The Garden Where The Praties Grow
    17. I Hear You Calling Me
    18. The Irish Emigrant
    19. Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair
    20. Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms
    21. South Winds
    22. She Moved Thro' The Fair
    23. The Star Of The County Down
    24. Waiting For You
    25. The Kerry Dance

    Tracks:

    1. The Minstrel Boy
    2. Nirvana
    3. My Dreams
    4. A Little Love, A Little Kiss
    5. The Angel's Serenade
    6. Ave Maria (Intermezzo From 'Cavalleria Rusticana')
    7. Serenata
    8. Barcarolle ('Night Of Stars And Night Of Love')
    9. Before My Window
    10. Swans
    11. Come, My Beloved
    12. Moonlight And Roses
    13. I Look Into Your Garden
    14. Bird Songs At Eventide
    15. By The Short Cut To The Roses
    16. The Fairy Tree
    17. The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls
    18. Once In A Blue Moon
    19. Charm Me Asleep
    20. Vespers
    21. Sweetly She Sleeps, My Alice Fair
    22. A Song Remembered
    23. The Dawning Of The Day
    24. A House, Love, Made For You And Me
    25. The Old House
    Venetian Vespers (Monteverdi * Rigatti * Grandi * Cavalli) /Gabrieli Consort & Players * McCreesh
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • One of the best Gabrieli Consort recordings
    • Holy music
    • Good work Gabrieli
    • A Magnificent Set
    • An amazing reproduction of 17th century Vespers
    		 Venetian Vespers (Monteverdi * Rigatti * Grandi * Cavalli) /Gabrieli Consort & Players * McCreesh
    Research Composer , Giovanni Antonio Rigatti , Alessandro Grandi , Claudio Monteverdi , Adriano Banchieri , Giacomo Finetti , Pietro Francesco Cavalli , Anonymous , Gregorian Chant , Biagio Marini , Gabrieli Consort , Charles Daniels , Paul McCreesh , Alison Wray , Jonathan Best , Tessa Bonner , Angus Smith , Peter Harvey , Robert Horn , Paula Chateauneuf , Timothy Roberts , Susan Hemington Jones , Fred Jacobs , Celia Harper , Charles Pott , Florian Deuter , and Gabrieli Players
    Manufacturer: Polygram Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    TriosTrios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
    All Works by MonteverdiAll Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    Trio SonatasTrio Sonatas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    Sacred & ReligiousSacred & Religious | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
    Vocal & SongVocal & Song | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Requiems
    GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    McCreesh, PaulMcCreesh, Paul | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    CompilationsCompilations | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    ChantsChants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    MagnificatsMagnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    MotetsMotets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    OratoriosOratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    PsalmsPsalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. A Venetian Coronation 1595
    2. Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco
    3. Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott
    4. Monteverdi - L'Orfeo / Rolfe Johnson, Dawson, von Otter, Argenta, M. Nichols, Tomlinson, Chance, Baird; Gardiner
    5. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / James, Lewis, Baker, Herincx

    ASIN: B0000057E9
    Release Date: 1993-05-11

    Tracks:

    1. Sacristy Bell (after G. Gabrieli)
    2. Organ: Intonazione
    3. Versicle & Response: Deus in adiutorium - Domine ad adiuvandum
    4. Antiphon: Angelus Domini
    5. Psalm: Dixit Dominus
    6. Motet: O intemerata
    7. Antiphon: Beata es Maria
    8. Psalm 112: Laudate peuri
    9. Organ: Suonata prima
    10. Antiphon: Beatam me dicent
    11. Psalm 121: Laetatus sum
    12. Motet: O Maria, quae rapis corda hominum
    13. Antiphon: Haec est quae nescavit
    14. Psalm 126: Nisi Dominus
    15. Organ: Dialogo secondo (Banchieri)
    16. Antiphon: Ante thronum
    17. Psalm 147: Lauda Jerusalem
    18. Motet: O quam tu pulchra es

    Tracks:

    1. Organ: Praeambulum
    2. Chapter: Ecce virgo
    3. Hymn: Deus qui mundum crimine iacentem
    4. Versicle & Response: Ave Maria / Dominus tecum
    5. Antiphon: Spiritus Sanctus
    6. Magnificat
    7. Sonata con tre violini in eco
    8. Collect: Dominus vobiscum - Deus, qui de beatae Mariae
    9. Dismissal: Dominus vobiscum - Benedicamus Domino
    10. Motet: Laudate Dominum (Monteverdi)
    11. Organ: Intonazione
    12. Motet: Salve regina

    Amazon.com essential recording

    Paul McCreesh's second major recording (and second Gramophone Award winner) reconstructs Vespers for the Feast of the Annunciation at San Marco circa 1643, using music by Monteverdi and contemporaries including Cavalli, Grandi, and Rigatti. The music is less dense and lavishly scored than on A Venetian Coronation, but more virtuosic and varied--ranging from Finetti's sweet, languid "O Maria, quæ rapis" for two falsettists and Monteverdi's lively "Laudate Dominum" for solo tenor, to Marini's sensuous sonata for three violins and Monteverdi's spectacular "Lætatus sum" for six singers, two violins, two trombones, and bassoon over a repeated four-note bass. There is so much excitement here that even the opening of "Lætatus sum"--four measures of only the repeating bass--shimmers with energy. --Matthew Westphal

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars One of the best Gabrieli Consort recordings.......2007-03-17

    This really a fine recording. I bought my copy one sunny Saturday morning in Melbourne in around 1993. I saw it on the shelf and I got my wallet out. I was completely blown away by the music on this disc. Rigatti was a real discovery for me.

    The use of high falsettists in the chorus and solos is particularly effective and gives us a real insight into the sounds of music in Venice in the early 17th century.

    I cannot recommend this marvellous recording too highly, it is clearly one of the best made by the Gabrieli Consort, Choir & Players.

    Great playing from the strings, cornetti and tromboni.

    5 out of 5 stars Holy music.......2005-10-16

    Venice, once the most powerful city in the world due to its position in trade routes and as a nexus for military activities between the East and West, was also a leading centre for the arts and music for generations. As often happens, the cultural influence of the city remained strong long after the political and economic power was gone. So strong was the influence of Venice at this time that musicians and artists of other nations came to Venice to study, and carried back the influence to their home countries. One of the towering figures of this history was Claudio Monteverdi, who along with his many compositions sacred and secular, is credited with the first opera, 'L'Orfeo'. Monteverdi's compositions form the heart of this collection, which is designed as would be a Vespers service in St. Mark's Basilica in 1643.

    Monteverdi is the leading light in this collection, but other composers of the time are also featured. The great Giovanni Gabrieli is acknowledged not only in the opening piece, but also in the name of the performers: the Gabrieli Consort and Players, under the direction of Paul McCreesh. Other composers featured include Rigatti, Grandi, Banchieri, Finetti, Cavalli, Marini, and Fasolo. The service of Vespers at St. Mark's was an elaborate affair, enhanced with extraliturgical motets and instrumental music, according to McCreesh. This was not according to standard liturgical practice, but was typical Venetian practice, where the Vespers became a very popular event. The Doge regularly attended the service.

    This recording includes musical settings and plainchant from the time. While St. Mark's had a choir and consort of players totaling as many as 30 people each, usually services would only require about half that number. The choir would have had castrati as part of the vocal ensemble; that vocal range has been provided here by female sopranos and male falsettists.

    Paul McCreesh formed the Gabrieli Consort and Players while still a student at Manchester University in the 1980s. Since then, the group and conductor have gone on to international awards and acclaim, specialising in music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, which this particular disc fits by being done at the mid-point of the transition between the two.

    This is a glorious, two-disc collection, done in a wonderful form of reconstructing what an actual service would be like. It is a brilliant performance, with graceful vocal and instrumental blending and strong tones of the spirit of music.

    4 out of 5 stars Good work Gabrieli.......2003-03-20

    Excellent 2-disc release by the Gabrieli Consort. The falsettists were supreme!

    5 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Set.......2001-10-23

    The Vespers that Paul McLeish has reconstructed here are those that might have occurred on March 24, 1643, just one year before the death of Monteverdi whose music figures prominently in this service. Vespers is the principle evening service of the Catholic Church and in Venice the music written for this service was spectacular. At San Marco, the Doge regularly attended Vespers and it was typical that the Pala d'oro, the fantastic piece of Byzantine art, was on display.

    The music recorded here has great appeal. The Dixit Dominus by Giovanni Antonio Rigatti is very evocative of the warlike nature of Psalm 109 and the four pieces by Monteverdi are among his best works. Of these, the Laetatus sum on Psalm 121 is characterized by highly colorful vocal writing and brilliant scoring which includes a trombone and bassoon, and Monteverdi's Laudate Dominum (Psalm 150) has exquisite writing for the voice. One of the highlights is the motet by Alessandro Grandi O intermerata, which is beautifully sung by Charles Daniels. But I would have to say that I have heard this work by sung with more passion and color by Nigel Rogers (on the recording Venice Preserved). I do recommend comparing the two performances.

    The performances are truly excellent on this CD and the recording lends a feeling of a large space, so if you close your eyes you could think you have been transported to San Marco. Paul McLeish put a lot of scholarly work into reconstructing this service but it is not a dry example of scholarship but a vivid and brilliant performance. This is excellent music making that I highly recommended and is precisely that excellence that I have come to expect from the Gabrieli Consort.

    5 out of 5 stars An amazing reproduction of 17th century Vespers.......1999-12-17

    Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort and Players have put together an entirely captivating re-creation of a Vespers service, the Catholic office of evening prayer, as it might have been performed at St. Mark's in Venice in the early 17th century. From the sacristy bell, to the chants, to the massive and breathtaking polychoral hymns and psalms, McCreesh weaves a tapestry of sound that is simply unparalleled. The Gabrieli Players' violinists play with such Italianate freshness and detail -- down to the last trill -- and the sopranos' voices are so fresh and lively that this CD is simply a must-own for any fan of Early Music. Having just seen the Consort and Players perform in Columbus, OH on 15 Dec. 1999, I can say for sure that this group is simply magical. There are few CDs I would grab on my way out of a burning building -- this is one.
    A Venetian Vespers of 1640
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		A Venetian Vespers of 1640

      Manufacturer: Skylark
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Gabrieli, GiovanniGabrieli, Giovanni | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      All Works by MonteverdiAll Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      MagnificatsMagnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      MotetsMotets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      PsalmsPsalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000003Y27
      Release Date: 1999-07-13
      Venetian Vespers of 1640
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Venetian Vespers of 1640
        Vancouver Cantata Singers
        Manufacturer: Skylark
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD
        ASIN: B00008FU32
        Release Date: 1994-03-01

        Track Listings:

        1. Verdi - Luisa Miller / Millo · Domingo · Chernov · Quivar · Plishka · Rootering · MET · Levine
        2. Vienna Philharmonic: 1957-1963
        3. Vingt Regards
        4. Walk in Beauty
        5. What a Wonderful World [Import]
        6. When the Morning Stars Sang Together
        7. Wolcum Yule [Hybrid SACD] [SACD]
        8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos
        9. 3 Works for Live Electronics
        10. A Classic Tale: Music for Our Children

        Track Listings

        track listings

        Track Listings

        Dangerous & Moving [Limited Edition] [Import]

        L'Europe Musicales des 17th at 18th siècles

        bill88.com Music: 2nd Floor [CD-single]

        Blue Train

        An Ocean in Motion - Live in Boston 1984 [Live]

        It Ain't Easy

        It's Time

        Gateway To Classical Music: The Twentieth Century

        Lifeblood [Import]

        Igor Stravinsky: The Composer, Volume VIII

        Iq179 [Import]

        Exitos Y Recuerdos

        Fiesta de Soneros [Import]

        Pop-Jazz: Volume One

        I