STEFFANI: Scherzi Musicali [CD de audio] Academia Hermans, Fabio Ciofini and Steffani

Taking its cue from the rediscovered union between music and words, the cantata underwent a serious transformation during the 17th century, giving voice to affetti (the language of emotions) through the adoption of a variety of formal structures that were adhered to the poetic text in question. The genre became the trademark of composers considered Italian, including Agostino Steffani, one of the leading opera composers of Scarlatti's generation. Having trained as a priest, Steffani spent most of his career balancing between musical and ecclesiastical duties (which were not always reconcilable). His production, in addition to approximately 20 operas, includes sacred music, instrumental works and collections of cantatas for one to three voices. Among the latter, the Sei scherzi a voce sola con accompagnamento di piffari o di violini, the subject of this recording, occupies a special place, with the conventionality of the poetic texts (all of which refer to the idyllic pastoral sphere) in contrast to the composer's often highly unusual musical choices. From the recitatives to the cavatas and arias, the text is continuously rendered with mastery, also thanks to the refined use of instruments that accompany the voices and that are also used independently (in the preludes and choruses). In these works, therefore, we observe the skills of an opera composer, but also those of an excellent contrapuntist, the influences of instrumental (Corelli) and vocal models (Scarlatti, Carissimi) and the Italian roots and the openness to a European context in which the role of this tireless bishop-composer deserves a reappraisal. Founded in 2000, the Accademia Hermans of Umbria, an ensemble specifically dedicated to early repertoire, breathes new life into these musical gems, works that document the emergence of a genre that became the primary form of Italian baroque chamber vocal music.