Customer Reviews

Lo Sposalizio: The Wedding of Venice to the Sea

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I have a lot of CD's with Renaissance/Gabrieli music, so I have become rather hypercritical and I didn't dare to expect too much. But thanks to Robert King both 'uncle' Andrea and 'nephew' Giovanni again have moved me deeply (for those who understand Portuguese: saudade...). No CD or book is a 'must', but this performance makes me wish I could play the sackbut (at all/this well).

This recording is very impressive. It features a range of sacred and secular vocal and instrumental music by the Gabrielis and their contemporaries. The music is well sung and well played and the whole experience is very impressive. I do agree that Paul McCreesh often does this kind of 'reconstructed event' in music a little better but this is a fine effort.
There are some fabulous pieces here that are rarely recorded and I suspect that some of these works have received their recording debut here.
The vast madrigal by Giovani Gabrieli - 'Udite, chiari e generosi figli' and Andrea Gabrieli's polychoral madrigals 'Cantiam de Dio' and 'Vieni, vieni Himeneo' are beautifully performed here and I know of no other recordings of these works.
The Canzon per otto tromboni by Tiburtio Massaino is a deep and dark piece and suggests that this composer deserves further exploration.
A couple of minor criticisms - the madrigal Lieto Godea is taken at a snail's pace and it is hard to believe listening to this performance that this piece inspired so many composers! Also, the performance of the Sonata XX à 22 is a all right but the recording made by the Taverner Consort & Players under the direction of Andrew Parrott is vastly superior.

Overall, a very entertaining CD with a couple of interpretations that did not impress me very much. Buy with confidence!

The is a stellar recording, based on events that took place on Ascension Day, 1600, and every year around that time in Venice. Venice, of course, has an economy and culture that are based on the sea, being built on a lagoon that enters into the Adriatic Sea. Over the years the fishermen would bless their boats, their catch, etc and it evolved into something quite spectacular! The bishop would lead the fleet of ships across the lagoon to the entrance to the Piazza San Marco, marry Venice to the Sea, then there would be a solemn Mass held in San Nicolo. All this is accompanied by tolling of the bells of San Marco, drums, fanfares, music of the Gabrielis and it became quite the ceremonial event! This recording is a reconstruction of that event and is extremely well recorded and the progress of the event is exciting to follow. This cd is a terrific experience of the Venetian tradition.