Gabrieli Consort & Players

Gabrieli are world-renowned interpreters of great vocal and instrumental repertoire spanning from the renaissance to the present day. Formed as an early music ensemble by Paul McCreesh in 1982, Gabrieli has both outgrown and remained true to its original identity. Over thirty years, the ensemble's repertoire has expanded beyond any expectation, but McCreesh's ever-questioning spirit and expressive musicianship, together with a healthy degree of iconoclasm, remain constant features and continue to be reflected in the ensemble’s dynamic performances. Their repertoire includes major works of the oratorio tradition, virtuosic a cappella programmes of music from many centuries and mould-breaking reconstructions of music for historical events. Today, at the heart of Gabrieli’s activities is the development of a pioneering education initiative in Gabrieli Roar. This ambitious partnership with leading UK youth choirs has enabled Gabrieli to work extensively with teenagers from across the UK in intensive training programmes focused on recording major works of the oratorio repertoire and performances for such prestigious promoters as the BBC Proms. In 2015-16 Gabrieli’s plans include Bach Passion performances in the UK and USA (in collaboration with St Paul Chamber Orchestra), a Christmas tour of Handel’s Messiah which takes us to Lucerne, Versailles, Zaragoza, San Sebastian and Pamplona and performances of Handel’s Dixit Dominus at Handelfestspiele Halle and, again, Chateau de Versailles. Our UK appearances include Gabrieli Roar at Southwark Cathedral in February, a performance of Haydn The Seasons at St John’s Smith Square, a new a cappella programme performed at Lichfield and Oundle festivals, and a continuation of 2015’s Purcell focus as part of our partnership with Hampton Court Palace. Gabrieli aims to create inspirational and thought-provoking performances that stand out from the crowd. It has long been renowned for its many award-winning recordings created during a fifteen year association with Deutsche Grammophon. In 2010, Paul McCreesh established his own record label Winged Lion which in its first year alone released four extremely diverse recordings, underlining Gabrieli’s versatility and the breadth of Paul McCreesh’s vision. The focal point of the Winged Lion catalogue is the series of spectacular large-scale oratorio recordings made in conjunction with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir with the kind support of the National Forum of Music, Wroclaw: Berlioz Grande Messe des Morts, Mendelssohn Elijah and Britten War Requiem; the next recording in this series will be a large-scale version of Haydn’s The Seasons, to be recorded in June 2016 in Wroclaw’s impressive new concert hall. The most recent release on Winged Lion is Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Gabrieli’s first Handel recording in over a decade. July 2015