CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

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

by: 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, Gabrieli Players

Release Date May 11, 1993
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.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Music Of Gabrieli

from: Telarc

Release Date April 23, 2002
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

A Renaissance Tour of Europe

from: Dorian Recordings

Release Date August 02, 1993
This is a refreshing sampler of the music of the Renaissance, played by a beautiful ensemble. I wish there were more double reed ensembles out there, but even if there were, I'm sure this group would stand out as one of the better groups. There is much nuance and good phrasing in their playing, not to mention that the repertoire is a lot of fun. There is a lot of variety in the album, from noble, grand French court music to lively English dances...from Italian and German counterpoint to sweet English love songs.

To some, Renaissance music starts to all sound the same. Perhaps that's because they haven't quite heard all the different kinds of music that existed in that time. This disc is a great introduction to the repertoire, as ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Glory of Gabrieli: Antiphonal Music Brass Choirs

by: Empire Brass & Gusts, Smedvig

Release Date November 26, 2002
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.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Italian Renaissance Dances, Vol. 2

from: Hmf Classical Exp.

Release Date April 09, 2002
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.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Canzonetta: 16c. Canzoni & Instrumental Dances - The King's Noyse / Paul O'Dette

by: Adrian Willaert, Cipriano de Rore, David Douglass, Giovanni Bassano, Thomas Crecquillon, Giovanni Battista Bassani, Francesco Paolo Tosti, Robert Mealy, Scott Metcalfe, Jane Starkman, Emily Walhout, Ellen L. Hargis, Nancy Mayer, Paul O'Dette, The King's Noyse

Release Date January 17, 1995
The collection of 16th century music is well-executed by The King's Noyse. For those who maintain that real music didn't begin until the Baroque period, experiencing this CD should be an eye-opener. The performances are crisp, melodic, and very listenable.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Baroque Brass

from: RCA

Release Date January 18, 1994
The collection of 16th century music is well-executed by The King's Noyse. For those who maintain that real music didn't begin until the Baroque period, experiencing this CD should be an eye-opener. The performances are crisp, melodic, and very listenable.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

The World of Early Music

from: Naxos

Release Date February 22, 2000
This collection is filled with choral numbers sure to mellow you right the *#** out.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Music from the Royal Court

from: Umvd Labels

Release Date August 12, 2003
Over the years from time to time I bought some CDs with baroque brass ensemble music, always hoping it would be so fascinating as what I knew from my fathers PJBE vynil records. What I bought so far all are nice but also somewhat boring after short time. Unfortunately I never bought something from the PJBE until now, and this is the first time that a complete CD (and in this case even two of them) of baroque music for brass is surprising and fascinating me with every 'song', showing facetes and diversity I always missed on my other records. Finally nothing is like the original PJ!

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Baroque Brass

from: RCA

Release Date July 13, 1993
Over the years from time to time I bought some CDs with baroque brass ensemble music, always hoping it would be so fascinating as what I knew from my fathers PJBE vynil records. What I bought so far all are nice but also somewhat boring after short time. Unfortunately I never bought something from the PJBE until now, and this is the first time that a complete CD (and in this case even two of them) of baroque music for brass is surprising and fascinating me with every 'song', showing facetes and diversity I always missed on my other records. Finally nothing is like the original PJ!