Composer: Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli
Performer: Eligio Quinteiro, Catherine Pierron, Matthew Turner, Steven Devine, I Fagiolini, English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble
Conductor: Robert Hollingworth
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Catalogue: CHAN0697
Release: 2003
Size: 350 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Gabrieli A: Del gran Tuonante la sorella e moglie
02. Gabrieli A: Sassi, palae, sabbion, del Adrian lio
03. Gabrieli A: Felici d’Adria e dilettose rive
04. Gabrieli A: I’vo piangendo i miei passati tempi
05. Gabrieli A: Asia felice hor ben posso chiamarmi
06. Gabrieli A: O beltà rara, o santi modi adorni
07. Gabrieli A: Laura soave, vita di mia vita
08. Gabrieli A: O passi sparsi, o pensier vaghi e pronti
09. Gabrieli A: Amami, vita mia, ch’io t’amo anchora
10. Gabrieli A: Lasso, Amor mi trasporta ov’io non voglio
11. Gabrieli A: Amami, vita mia, ch’io t’amo anchora
12. Gabrieli A: Caro dolce ben mio, perche fuggire
13. Gabrieli A: Hor ch’a noi torna la stagion novella
14. Gabrieli A: Sento, sent’un rumor ch’al ciel si estolle
15. Gabrieli A: Voi non volete, dona
16. Gabrieli A: Io mi sento morire
17. Gabrieli G: Canzon I ‘La Spiritata’
18. Gabrieli A: Mirami, vita mia, miram’un poco
19. Gabrieli A: Mentr’io vi miro, vorrei pur sapere
20. Gabrieli A: Chi’nde darà la bose al solfizar
21. Gabrieli A: Ancor che col partire
22. Gabrieli A: Fuor fuori a sì bel canto
23. Gabrieli G: Sacri di Giove augei sacre Fenici
24. Gabrieli A: Dunque il comun poter
25. Gabrieli G: Sacri di Giove augei sacre Fenici
Andrea Gabrieli has always been something of a textbook composer, whose reputation falls under the shadow of his more famous nephew, Giovanni, the composer par excellence of the grand Venetian polychoral manner. Though Andrea’s music may not plumb the depths of Giovanni’s best pieces, his compositional range displays a versatility that the writing of his more considered relation surely lacks. Whereas Giovanni concentrated on liturgical composition, Andrea explored the gamut of contemporary styles and forms, from madrigals and lighter secular writing to dialect texts, church music, instrumental works, experimental theatre-pieces and music for Venetian festivities.
This imaginatively constructed disc, punctuated by instrumental items, presents as a main course a selection of Andrea’s settings of Italian texts. These reveal an unexpected emotional complexity, robust and lively works being contrasted with more reflective ones. The former are characterised by an energetic rhythmic drive and bright sonorities in the upper registers, the latter by a mellifluous and sensitive approach.
There are also a few oddities, notably ‘Asia felice’, composed for an outdoor celebration of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 – suitably enlivened here with unscripted interventions of organ, sackbuts and cornets – and the boisterous rendition of the dialect text ‘Chi’nde darà la bose al solfizar’, which evocatively breathes the air of the streets and squares of Renaissance Venice.
Anyone smitten with the musical traditions of this most fascinating of all cities, shouldn’t hesitate to buy this record.