In some performances of repertory staples, Mr. Gilbert has been a little cautious.
As the music director of Musica Sacra and the Oratorio Society of New York, he routinely conducts insightful performances of repertory from Renaissance Masses to works by living composers.
But for some, Mr. Gilbert's performances of repertory staples, though always strong, have lacked the excitement that he can bring to contemporary music, or to personal passions like the symphonies of Carl Nielsen or the early works of Schoenberg.
Jordi Savall's instrument of choice is the bass viol, an antique relative of the cello, and the three ensembles he directs are renowned for polished performances of repertory replete with antiquarian sounds.
Yet it is also noteworthy when a performance of a repertory staple conveys what was audacious about the piece when it was new.
Classical music fans can seem obsessed with minute analyses of performances of standard repertory works.
It's easy to let performances of standard repertory sound standardized.
The eloquent Ailey dancers in performances of a repertory of 15 dances, seen in whole or in excerpt.
Over the years I have heard of lots of flashy, expressively indulgent performances of Russian repertory in the name of preserving the Russian Romantic style.
