Giovanni Gabrieli

Experience a monumental masterpiece of Venetian polychoral music with Giovanni Gabrieli’s "Sonata XX" (1615)! Scored for an impressive ensemble of 22 brass players, this extraordinary composition stan...

Simple yet characterful four-part canzonas found in Raverii's 1608 collection.

Simple yet characterful four-part canzonas found in Raverii's 1608 collection.

A fairly conservative work in five parts, but not without deft harmonic and rhythmic touches which point towards the imagination of later works.

A six part canzona which opens with one of Gabrieli's most characteristic rising themes and goes on to embrace attractive three-part writing, flourishes, scale passages and a brief triple-time section...

The opening theme of this six part work retains the canzona rhythm, but also uses the unusual intervals of diminished fourth and fifth. The overall effect is of a certain angularity and rusticity.

This 6 part canzon is the first to seriously explore Gabrieli's fascination with opposing rhythms. The essentially lyrical duple time music is punctuated four times by a bold triple-time ritornello.

This seven part canzona is one of the most unusual and daring rhythmic pieces with overlapping 3/4 and 6/8 plus a grand coda with dotted rhythms and fast scale passages. Dur 3'45'

An assertive single note call on the familiar canzona rhythm leads to superbly mature seven part contrapuntal writing containing immense rhythmic and textural variation.

The splendidly bright opening and confident major feel of this seven part canzona all point to a work written for a joyous rather than a formal occasion.

This eight part canzona is unusual in having a 'high' and a 'low' choir and also a recurring 'motto' theme. Dur 4'15'

This eight part canzona is subtitled 'Fa Sol La Re' which is a reference to the bass line, repeated in a bright triple time over thirty times finally expanding for the brilliant finish. Dur 3'30'

This eight part canzona is one of the most harmonically advanced, building from a stately opening to increasingly complex rhythms and harmonies. Dur 4'15'

An eight part canzona mainly in triple time and in the major key with extended passages for two separate choirs. Dur 3'

Experience the majestic sonic splendor of the early Baroque era with the impressive "Sonata XIII (1615)". Scored for an eight-part brass ensemble, this masterwork unfolds a captivating musical journey...

This eight part sonata is perhaps the best known of Gabrieli's instrumental compositions as it was one of the first pieces to specify dynamics and instrumentation. A magnificently aristocratic work. D...

Experience the pure magnificence of the Venetian sound: The "Canzon septimi toni no 2" (1597) is a sparkling Renaissance masterpiece that allows brass ensembles to truly shine. Scored for eight brass...

This eight part canzona is one of the most serious of all . Not even the usually bright 3/4 sections can overcome the sombre mood. Dur 3'

Experience the splendid brilliance of Venetian polychoral music with 'Canzon XXVIII (1608)'. Arranged for an eight-piece brass ensemble (two four-part choirs), this charming and captivating piece unfo...

A vigorous piece for two four-part choirs characterised by dotted and cross rhythms as well as forceful syncopations.

Based on the rhythm and rising scale, the opening theme is worked into a delightful rhythmical interplay between the two groups.

A cheerful motif pervades the antiphonal exchange between the two four-part choirs before a resplendent finish.

A much more formal work than normal, with the second group copying the first some four times. Finally the first imitates the second before a short coda for all the players.

scored for 6 trumpets in Bb, 6 trombones (or 3 horns and 3 trombones)