This recording (again, click the icon at right) was made in 1988 by the Empire Brass and Friends. The "Friends" were mostly Boston Symphony Orchestra musicians and Boston area free-lancers. It is interesting that Harvey Phillips noted that the 1968 Philadelphia/Cleveland/Chicago Brass recording would be impossible to duplicate because this recording obviously aims to do just that. While there is quite a bit of variation in selection, the liner notes include a "score card" that is almost identical to the earlier recording. It was recorded at the Berkshire Performing Arts Center, which is actually a gym with very special acoustic properties (I've been there to witness another Empire Brass recording), and also attempts to recreate the Gabrieli sound stereophonically. This later recording is clearly an "homage" to the legendary 1968 performance.
This performance of Canzon duodecimi toni also focuses largely on grandiosity. The full, loud sections are at least as loud and "orchestral-sounding" as the previous recording, but in the softer, lighter sections, the musicians clearly concentrate on lightness and clarity of articulation, which is particularly noticeable in the dance rhythms and florid runs. By 1988, quality period instrument performances and recordings had begun to appear, but were by no means standard practice. When listening to this recording, I can't help but feel that Empire Brass and their "Friends" were aware of the emerging period instrument movement and tried to incorporate some of the stylistic attributes, but nonetheless had the older recording in their ears.
