Agostino Steffani: Duetti da Camera - Crudo Amor Forma Antiqva & Aarón Zapico

• 1 Begl'occhi, oh Dio, non piú piangete 02:23
• 2 Begl'occhi, oh Dio, non piú piangete (Clori mia, s'il cor t'ingombra) 02:22
• 3 Begl'occhi, oh Dio, non piú piangete (Se la tua gelosia) 01:14
• 4 Begl'occhi, oh Dio, non piú piangete (Clori mia, deh, ferma alquanto) 02:22
• 5 Occhi, Perché piangete? 06:50
• 6 Toccata Terza from Libro Terzo d'intavolatura di chitarrone 03:38
• 7 Dimmi, dimmi, Cupido 01:27
• 8 Steffani: Dimmi, dimmi, Cupido (Son erede dei tormanti) 02:37
• 9 Dimmi, dimmi, Cupido (Ah, che quei piedi, oh Dio) 02:01
• 10 Dimmi, dimmi, Cupido (Non bastava al Dio d'amore) 02:19
• 11 Passacaglia from Musikalischer Parnassus 04:45
• 12 Crudo amor, morir Mi sento 02:05
• 13 Crudo amor (Come nel mar d'amore) 01:34
• 14 Crudo amor (La stella ch'a me splende) 03:00
• 15 Crudo amor (È la speme un falso bene) 02:45
• 16 Placidissime catene 06:45
• 17 Passachaglia from Varii scherzi di sonate per la chitara spagnola, Libro Qvarto 03:35
• 18 Sol negl'occhi del mio bene 02:15
• 19 Sol negl'occhi del mio bene (Filli crudele, oh Dio!) 01:45
• 20 Sol negl'occhi del mio bene (Ma, se nel tuo bel viso) 01:02
• 21 Sol negl'occhi del mio bene (Chi vedesse la beltà) 01:01
• Total Runtime 57:45

Info for Agostino Steffani: Duetti da Camera - Crudo Amor

Agostino Steffani (1654–1728), better known in the poet’s world as Gregorio Piva, hid himself behind many masks. A Baroque personality, if there ever was one, in who a singer – probably a castrato with a beautiful voice that Count Tattenbach had discovered in San Marco in Venice – composer, bishop, apostolic vicar, spy … and diplomat met, to handle delicate missions at various German courts until he continued his musical career as it were almost only in seclusion. In seclusion or not that much. Steffani’s music was widely admired, so much that the young Georg Friedrich Händel owned a copy of the manuscripts of his chamber duets, eager to imitate them in his own duets from the years 1708 to 1712. In many elements of his elegant and tasteful style Steffani recognised the great talent of the young Händel, who he rightly considered as his operatic successor.

Steffani’s elegant chamber duets, composed in the style of Giovanni Clari’s duets as cantatas for two voices with continuo, are a milestone in the development of the secular vocal music between Giacomo Carissimi and Händel. With them he reaches his compositional high point; they are an advanced development of the Italian solo cantata during that period, enriched with playfulness of the vocal counterpoint, in the manner of the two solo violins in the trio sonata. They feature flexible melodies, an elegant counterpoint and perfect formal proportions. His style can be compared to the one of Alessandro Stradella, Arcangelo Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti or the young Händel. Most of the duets were written before 1702, the same year when Steffani started to revise them after the failure of one of his diplomatic endeavours, only two duets were composed after 1702. His reworking continued until 1710. Full of grace and bucolic themes, similar to the Italian chamber cantata at the time, different voice combinations can be found in the duets – soprano and contralto, soprano and tenor, soprano and bass – with continuo as well as a structure of up to six parts between solos and duets. Applied are the closed forms of the 17th century cantata – aria da capo and rondo – as well as a more open form, a multiple section concept bringing them close to the Renaissance madrigal, Steffani’s preferred choice in the revised versions, where he in favour of the duos abandons repetitions and explores the possibilities of the counterpoint and fugal passages. Much admired, Steffani’s duets exerted great influence. They became models for composers such as Reinhard Keiser, Georg Caspar Schürmann and Georg Philipp Telemann, served the most excellent singers of their time as vocal exercises and were highly praised by Johann Mattheson, Padre Martini, Charles Burney and E.T.A. Hoffmann. In England they were utilised in the sacred repertoire by replacing the Italian original lyrics with English religious texts. All this happened with a high degree of respect that Steffani’s œuvre as composer and diplomat received during his lifetime and as well later in the enthusiastic imaginary world of the romanticist Hoffmann.

Steffani was an excellent singer and linguist, who managed to skillfully pursue all the different vocations of his life. An extraordinary virtuosity is revealed in his vocal compositions, but also the ability to express a great sensitivity in the text and the special gift to convey emotions and feelings. Passions and emotions in the words, the sounds and the colours of the voices. The bitter side of love and the gentleness of pleasurably endured and sought pain. Soprano and alto, continuo and voices, love and dislike.

Forma Antiqva:
Aarón Zapico, harpsichord, musical director
Pablo Zapico, baroque guitar
Daniel Zapico, theorbo
Ruth Verona, violoncello
Eugenia Boix, soprano
Carlos Mena, countertenor

Forma Antiqva
is the personal and professional project of the 3 Zapico brothers: {Aarón}, {Daniel} and {Pablo}. Founded in 1999, in just a short time it has managed to secure a leading position in the sector of Baroque music in Spain thanks to their up-to-date, daring and accurate interpretations, their refined image and their presence on social networks.

Daniel, Pablo and Aarón try to ensure that every Forma Antiqva concert is a unique experience, whether playing as a trio, a chamber ensemble or as part of an orchestra.

Born in Asturias, Aarón Zapico has made a forceful arrival on the early music scene in Spain over recent years. The key to this success can be found in his elegant, resilient interpretations with their varied and nuanced dynamics, as highlighted by the specialized music critics. He is constantly present at the most important festivals and concert halls, where he can be found leading symphonic orchestras, specialised groups and his own ensemble Forma Antiqva.

His services are increasingly in demand as a guest conductor and he has had the pleasure of leading the Symphony Orchestra of Galicia, the Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Malaga, the Orchestra of Extremadura, the Roquetas de Mar Baroque Orchestra and Choir, the Bilbao Choral Society, the Princess of Asturias Foundation Choir, the University of Santander Camerata Choir, the Youth Baroque Orchestra of Andalucía, the Santander Academy of Early Music, Acadèmia 1750, the Baroque Orchestra of Vélez Blanco and the Youth Orchestra of the Autonomous Community of Madrid.

In 1999 he founded the baroque music ensemble Forma Antiqva (resident in the Oviedo Auditorium), to which he dedicates most of his time and attention. In just a few years he has managed to secure the ensembles place in the top ranks of historical interpretation thanks to their performances at the most prestigious cycles, their international tours across Europe, Asia and Latin America, as well as their recordings which have been repeatedly praised by international critics.

An exclusive artist of the German record company Winter & Winter since 2009, his recordings as a solo artist and conductor have been nominated on 4 occasions for the International Classical Music Awards (2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017) and have obtained maximum recognition by European critics. His version of Antonio Vivaldi’s celebrated Four Seasons in 2012 had a genuine impact across Europe and was unanimously elected by the critics as an absolute reference point.

Committed to recovering Spanish music from the 17th and 18th centuries, he has directed numerous debuts in modern times of authors such as Blas de Laserna, José Lidón, Antonio Literes, Joaquín Lázaro and Jaime Casellas. In a like manner, his interest in contemporary music and new artistic manifestations has led him to work closely with Ernst Reijseger (1954), and to record his symphonic poem The Volcano Symphony written especially for Forma Antiqva, Fumio Yasuda (1953) or Uri Caine (1956), in the multidisciplinar project Poem of a cell, premiered at the Heineken Jazzaldia in San Sebastian.

With classical training and an outstanding advanced degree in piano from the Conservatory of Oviedo, he specialised in early music and harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he completed his soloist diploma with the unanimous praise of the board. At the same time, he also received advices from the most renowned worldwide specialists in historical interpretation.

He has collaborated for many years with some of the most outstanding symphonic orchestras and ensembles under the baton of Frans Brüggen, Emilio Moreno, Pablo González, Marzio Conti, Álvaro Albiach and Victor Pablo Pérez.

He has worked as harpsichord and chamber music professor at the conservatories of Murcia and Oviedo and as guest professor on the most important courses on early music. He has also given advanced courses and master classes in places such as Melbourne, Singapore, Gijón, Aracena, Burdeos, Costa Rica, Vélez Blanco, Granada and Albarracín.

In 2009, his restless, committed and entrepreneurial spirit led him to found and direct (until 2013) the Early Music Academy in Gijón. From 2011 to 2013 he also directed the Early Music Festival in the same city, as part of which he created the first International Competition of Early Music in Spain and different pioneering initiatives, such as concerts for disadvantaged people. He has also participated actively in the foundation of GEMA (Association of Spanish Groups of Early Music) and in the Platform for teachers, performers, composers and researchers of the Principality of Asturias.

Aarón Zapico has been finalist as Best Director in the GEMA Awards the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. He has been the recipient of the Asturian of the Month award from La Nueva España newspaper, the Group of the Year 2010 prize from the Television of the Principality of Asturias, the Asturian Music Award in 2012, the Serondaya Award for Cultural Innovation in 2012, and the FestClásica Award (Association of Spanish Festivals of Classical Music) in 2015. He has been member of the Jury for the Princess of Asturias Awards.

Booklet for Agostino Steffani: Duetti da Camera - Crudo Amor