It takes some doing to make a dull Gabrieli record, especially with musicians of the calibre of Canadian Brass (supported by seasoned orchestral players from New York and Philadelphia), but overall this is a most disappointing experience. Ever since CBS's remarkable recording of collaborating brass sections from the Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras (7/69—please re-issue), joint enterprises for Gabrieli's large-scored canzons and sonatas have rarely recaptured the thrilling and epic playing of those extraordinary sessions. The worst part of this current recording is an almost wanton display of vulgarity, starting with arrangements which are either unidiomatic or bloated by symphonic wind band textures and inappropriate doublings (Schutz's ''Domine, labia'' is painfully ugly—and not just to purists I would imagine). Arthur Frackenpohl is one of the two arrangers—the same man who transcribed Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Vivaldi's Four Seasons for Canadian Brass's previous recordings. Need one say more?
No one can doubt the quality of the raw materials here (track 1 is perhaps the best example in this respect) but one is struck mainly by ill-judged arrangements of vocal pieces which either inhibit the performers—when they should be exploring the wealth of Gabrieli's instrumental oeuvre—or highlight the uncomfortable mixture of large-bore symphonic sound with the relatively schmaltzy contributions of Canadian Brass. Only a small proportion of the disc is dedicated to the radiant ensemble writing of the collections published in 1597 and 1615, which seems a desperate waste of resources. Instead we are exposed to these vocal transcriptions, works deprived of their words and colour only then to be pounded relentlessly in a Blitzkrieg of heavy articulation and crass rallentandos. Having a conductor is probably a mixed blessing, since the ideals of contrast and dialogue in this music are more about chamber-like spontaneity and blending than the restricting effect of a visible beat. The Wallace Collection and Empire Brass (Telarc, 11/90—nla) both deliver Gabrieli performances which will give considerable pleasure, the former characterized by flexibility and a lean and glistening palette, the latter by radiant homogeneity and slick textural handling. Andrew Parrott's compilation of Sonatas and Canzonas offers an alternative on period instruments (re-released last year in Archiv's Argentea celebration), a pioneering sound which also uncovers the brilliance and nobility of Gabrieli's music. This latest project represents a lost opportunity and the worst of most worlds.'