Born into a musical family around 1553, Giovanni Gabrieli was the nephew of the leading Italian composer, Andrea Gabrieli. He followed in his uncle’s footsteps, becoming a musician at the Court of Duke Albrecht V in Munich before returning to Venice where he was appointed assistant organist at St Mark’s. Having taken the post of composer at the Basilica following the death of his uncle, he was to become the most important and influential musician working in Italy. His works include a remarkable series of sacred vocal compositions, together with instrumental works of a complexity and brilliance unparalleled at that time. The works included on this disc are performed in realisations made specifically for the recording by Eric Crees.