Music Of Gabrieli

Technically flawless but...

Empire brass always has shown their very high technical level with their instruments. And thats precisely the problem - again on this recording too. They are so eager to show off what they can, but musicality is lost in this process. They often play to quick, and what's consistent in all their recordings that I know so far, the trumpets are too loud, too present. I am not looking for historical acurate recordings. I just want to hear Gabrielis wonderful music with todays instruments. In fact I prefer to have it played by a variety of brass instruments, including horn and tuba, rather then only trombone and sackbuts or trumpets. This could be good on this recording, but with empire brass its trumpet... trumpet..., the rest is somewhere in the background. July 10, 2006

Peerless and Definitive Interpretations of the 1615 Anthology

This recording contains peerless and definitive performances of several selections from Canzoni e Sonate, the postumous 1615 collection of 20 Gabrieli canzons and sonatas that are played in our era on brass instruments. The second cut, Canzon XVI for three choirs and 12 instrumental voices, is one of the great performances of brass music on disc. If it doesn't raise your hair, you don't respond to brass music. I have organized performances of Gabrieli for more than 20 years. Robert King contributed greatly to the post World War II revival of Gabrieli by creating his popular and readily available transcriptions of the 1597 collection of brass music, Sacrae Symphoniae, but he never got to the 1615 anthology. Until I acquired this disc, my programs were limited to the 1597 selections and the six from 1608. Carl St. Clair's interpretations of the 1615 repertoire on this disc were a revelation. Other recordings of the 1615 music by the Canadian Brass, the Wallace Collection, and even Rolf Smedvig's successor recording to this disc, do not do the music justice. I have transcribed and performed six of the 1615 canzons, including Canzon XVI, because of the St. Clair readings on this disc. Any brass player interested in Gabrieli should own both this disc and the classic 1969 recording of 1597 and 1608 repertoire by the Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago brass ensembles. Eric Crees has done a commendable job of recording all the Gabrieli brass music. A performer of Gabrieli should own all three of Crees' discs. The readings on this disc and the 1969 recording, however, are essential classics. March 3, 2006

Excellent Work of Hard to Find Selections

Comparing modern brass to period instruments is quite ignorant and pointless. Very little music is played on period instruments becuase it is incredibly pointless. Advances in technology and production are used for a reason. This is a well produced and performed collection of incredible brass music. My personal favorite is Canzon XIII. Any person who has performed or been enthralled by the music of Gabrieli will greatly enjoy this album. November 8, 2005

Admittedly, not period instruments...

but it's hardly cubic zirconium; perhaps manmade diamonds are a better comparison. With what I assume is a hearty use of multitracking, the Empire Brass give us a glorious rendition of music of Gabrieli and some of his contemporaries. I think it's lovely, absolutely captivating and completely respectful of the original, if not an attempt to reproduce the original. But so what, every time Bach is played on a modern piano it's not authentic--for that matter, neither is playing Mozart on a modern piano authentic, but somehow we manage to suffer through it all and enjoy it nonetheless. Personally, I think Gabrieli would be delighted with this rendition. And it's not just Gabrieli on the disc--my personal favorite is Lauda Jerusalem by Gabriel Diaz Besson; a piece I've not heard in any other recording. Certainly any brass player will want this disc. October 16, 2005

Why settle for CZ when you can have diamonds?

Having only heard Giovanni Gabrieli's music performed on period instruments such a cornetts and sackbutts, and performed in HIP manner, against my better judgement (and the advice of a friend) I bought this disc. I heard an excerpt from it on the radio and it didn't sound too bad, and I was curious as to what it was like. In all honesty, I have to say that the Empire Brass does as well as they can with this music, given the instruments that they are working with. Trumpets are just too loud and brassy. Only when the ensemble is playing mezzo forte does the music come close to sounding 'right'.
If one wants to get a more realistic sense of Gabrieli's music I would recommend the 2 disc set "Venetian Church Music" performed by the Taverner Consort under the direction of Andrew Parrott. "Music for San Rocco" performed by Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players is another suggestion. These, like so many other CDs, are played on period instruments, which allow the true beauty and majesty of this music to shine through.
Just as CZ is a modern, cheap and often gaudy imitation of diamonds, so are trumpets playing cornetto music, and modern brass bands playing late Renaissance/early Baroque sacred music. The only difference between the gemstones and the CDs is that the CD 'diamonds' and 'CZ' are the same price, so why settle for CZ when you can have the diamonds? November 8, 2003

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