Gabrieli (G): Sacred Symphonies

A welcome return to Hyperion for Ex Cathedra and Jeffrey Skidmore, whose exuberant recordings of Baroque music from around the world have made them one of the best-loved ensembles of today.

This latest release presents the music of Giovanni Gabrieli in his four-hundredth anniversary year. These magnificent liturgical settings from the heart of the Venetian polychoral tradition are full of drama, wonder and extraordinary spatial effects. His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts and Concerto Palatino provide the sonic gilding that would have been an essential part of the original performances, when extra musicians crowded the galleries of St Mark’s for special occasions.

CDA67957  66 minutes 9 seconds
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW 'OUTSTANDING' AWARD
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
‘This recital focuses on the Sacrae Symphoniae that represent his output at its most varied … when Ex Cathedra sing as a choir, as in the extended Litany, even Gabrieli's most staid orator ...
‘There's great variety among the wonderful split-chorus effects, the hypnotic chordal intonations and the lovely spicy harmonic clashes … in the final piece, Exultent iam angelica … t ...
‘Ex Cathedra under Jeffrey Skidmore, matched by the pungent colours of the period instruments, enunciates the words with crisp clarity, singing with fluency and relishing the sumptuous soundscapes tha ...