CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Gabrieli · Monteverdi · Vivaldi - Venetian Church Music / Taverner Consort, Choir & Players · Andrew Parrott

by: Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, Dario Castello, Giovanni Legrenzi, Antonio Lotti, Alessandro Grandi, Andrew Parrott, Choir & Players Taverner Consort

Release Date October 09, 2001
An excellent compilation of early church music performed beautifully by the Taverner Consort, Choir, and Players, and conducted by Andrew Parrott. The recording is clear and the sound well balanced. It is also an exceptional value - 30 tracts (2 1/2 hours of music) on 2 CDs for less that $10.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Haydn - The Creation / Piau, Padmore, Davies, Gabrieli Consort & Players, McCreesh

from: ARCHIV Produktion

Release Date February 05, 2008
The other reviews say it all, although I would add that this is a great album for those just getting into classical or wanting to experience it for the first time. I also recommend this album to all seasoned classical enthusiasts.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Masters of the Trumpet

from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date August 09, 2005
This is a superb compilation of classical trumpet compositions, and features many of the world's best performers.The liner notes are well written and informative.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Giovanni Gabrieli: Music For San Rocco

from: Archiv Produktion

Release Date November 19, 1996
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."

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

The Baroque Christmas Album

from: Archiv Produktion

Release Date October 11, 2005
There are not many things in life that I would describe as just Gorgeous -- but this album is definitely one of them. The selections, the arrangements, the production quality, all are clean, yet lush -- simultaneously light and rich. The effect is wonderful.

This may not appeal to hardest-core periodists, but for beautiful music lovingly performed, the album is very hard to beat. Not only rocketted to the top of my favorite holiday album list - it is already high on my favorite all-time list. It will NOT be getting put away with the rest of the Christmas albums. Year-round keeper!

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

SACD: The Classics Sampler [Hybrid SACD]

from: Deutsche Grammophon

Release Date June 15, 2004
There are not many things in life that I would describe as just Gorgeous -- but this album is definitely one of them. The selections, the arrangements, the production quality, all are clean, yet lush -- simultaneously light and rich. The effect is wonderful.

This may not appeal to hardest-core periodists, but for beautiful music lovingly performed, the album is very hard to beat. Not only rocketted to the top of my favorite holiday album list - it is already high on my favorite all-time list. It will NOT be getting put away with the rest of the Christmas albums. Year-round keeper!

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

A Baroque Christmas

from: Polygram Records

Release Date September 13, 1991
If I had to pick one of my many Christmas CD's as an all-time favorite, it would probably be this one. The works here span the 1600's and include such masters as Gabrieli, Purcell and Monteverdi. The choir is so pure and joyous, it really gives a sense of what Christmas is all about. It's also a beautiful representation of the early Baroque period. If you need a break from the more popular holiday music, this is a great choice, and you could probably enjoy it any time of year. Most people would never know it's a Christmas CD! It's good to see that it's still available.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Praetorius - Mass for Christmas Morning

from: Archiv

Release Date October 11, 1994
This is fully enthralling. As a young man I find it difficult to enjoy such music but I would give this album a thousands stars, thats all. this is genius.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

A Venetian Coronation 1595

from: Angel Records

Release Date December 23, 2002
The other reviews here are spot on and i agree! This is a very special disc.
May i also add that it was awarded Record of the Year 1990 by ABC-FM Stereo
here in Australia and Gramophone (UK) 1990 Early Music Award.
I also suggest looking at abcshop dot com dot au for a superb selection of High quality classical music most of which is produced in Oz and not seen in huge quantities overseas. Amazon does have a few also. Type in ABC Classics
and browse through the selection.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Handel - Messiah / Röschmann, Gritton, Fink , C. Daniels, N. Davies; McCreesh

by: George Frideric Handel, Paul McCreesh, Dorothea Röschmann, Susan Gritton, Gabrieli Consort & Players, Bernarda Fink, Charles Daniels, Neal Davies

Release Date August 01, 1997
It's hard to have one favorite for a work with so many diverse challenges and rewards; it's far too big for any one performance. But though I have a dozen or so recordings, this is the Messiah I've had the highest joys-to-frustrations ratio with for the last few years.

Perhaps its strongest point, to my ears, is the technical assurance of the soloists, at no cost to their musicality. The thing that has jarred me most often from my enjoyment of this work is soloists just not quite hitting notes or articulating them cleanly, even with baroque specialists in other well regarded period performances, such as Hogwood and Pinnock. ("I shall shake" may as well be "I shall slide" in most recordings.) I agree with a previous reviewer who observes that McCreesh ... Read More: