GLORY OF GABRIELI :CANZONI ET SONATE (21)/INTONATIONI D'ORGANO/ETC:E.POWER BIGGS(org)/EDWARD TARR BRASS ENSEMBLE/GREGG SMITH SINGERS

Reissues in Sony's Great Performances line are often met with skepticism, for even with the incentives of direct stream digital remastering, generous bonus tracks, reproduced LP cover art, and original liner notes, Columbia's analog recordings from the 1960s are often flawed documents that collectors may desire but others may find less than satisfactory in sound and musical quality. However, there are occasions when the label performs a service beyond meeting collectors' needs, and by restoring this album to its rightful place in the catalog, Sony reminds us of the importance of historic preservation in more than just the recording arts. The Glory of Gabrieli was first released in 1968 and caused a sensation for its marvelous antiphonal performances by the Gregg Smith Singers, the Texas Boys Choir, and the Edward Tarr Brass Ensemble, conducted by Vittorio Negri and accompanied on organ by the inimitable E. Power Biggs. Yet even more sensational was the phenomenal sound of this vibrant stereo recording, which captured the magnificent acoustics of San Marco, Venice, with breathtaking fidelity. Listen to the lively reverberation of the crisscrossing choirs and brass in Plaudite, Psallite, the stirring echo at the conclusion of In ecclesiis, or the consort's aural halo behind the solo voices in the Three Mass Movements, and no further argument is necessary about the worth of this landmark recording. More than that, though, this album drew international attention to the plight of San Marco and other deteriorating buildings in Venice, and also played a key role in bringing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli to a public that had not heard much of his work beyond his oft-cited Sonata pian e forte. So for its artistic merit, its advancement of early music, and its significance in the struggle to preserve Venice's buildings, this reissue deserves its long-delayed honors in the Great Performances series and a place in all music lovers' libraries.