{"id":56695,"date":"2018-11-01T13:52:58","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T17:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=56695"},"modified":"2018-11-02T07:08:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-02T11:08:40","slug":"primer-tafelmusik-has-their-eyes-on-the-work-of-agostino-steffani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2018\/11\/01\/primer-tafelmusik-has-their-eyes-on-the-work-of-agostino-steffani\/","title":{"rendered":"PRIMER | Tafelmusik Has Their Eyes On The Work Of Agostino Steffani"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-56701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/11\/Drama-And-Devotion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/11\/Drama-And-Devotion.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/11\/Drama-And-Devotion-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/11\/Drama-And-Devotion-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Bach we know&#8230; Handel, of course. But Steffani?<\/p>\n<p>This is all about to change in Toronto this November when Tafelmusik Orchestra &amp; Chamber Choir will present a program dedicated to Agostino Steffani\u2019s sacred and secular works: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/organizer\/tafelmusik\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Drama and Devotion<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout five years ago, I was preparing for the Bach festival with Calgary Philharmonic, and I wanted to contrast French and Italian style development, to show how that impacted Bach\u2019s writing,&#8221; explained Tafelmusik Choir director, Ivars Taurins. &#8220;During the research, musicologists, interestingly, kept mentioning the name Steffani, but it wasn\u2019t until I saw Cecilia Bartoli\u2019s project with Diego Fasolis, Mission, that I became captivated with this incredible man\u2019s music.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W-DESg5I4eM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Agostino Steffani was born in Veneto in 1654, and his dramatic fate soon took him out to the wide world. His exceptionally beautiful voice in the choir of San Marco, Venice, mesmerized a particular German count, Georg Ignaz von Tattenbach, and at the tender age of 12, Steffani accompanied Tattenbach back to Munich. Unlike Bach, who had to fight through all kinds of difficulties to earn some recognition, Steffani\u2019s life was quite charmed. His education was looked after by the Elector of Bavaria, who sent him for further education in Rome.\u00a0 Not too long later, the Hanoverian court realized Steffani\u2019s full potential &#8211; not just as a musician, but also as a diplomat and politician who could serve the interests of the Holy Roman Empire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusicians, especially the ones who travelled extensively as part of the noble cohort, took a very special role, as informal diplomats from one court to another \u2014 and this is still very true to a point, when we see current artists being able to influence politicians and the masses with their causes and beliefs,&#8221; says Taurins. &#8220;Their craft and arts opened doors for direct contact with the nobility and king-makers, and for Steffani, he earned an extra layer of connection by becoming an active ecclesiastic member \u2014 a priest.\u00a0 Such a combination quickly elevated him as an elite diplomat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A priesthood as well?<\/p>\n<p>Yes \u2014 before he was yet 30, Steffani was not only writing full-scale court operas, he was fully ordained: <em>the Abbate of Lepsing<\/em>.\u00a0 He successfully maintained many close relationships with Europe\u2019s power players, including Maximilian Emanuel, the Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Brandenburg family \u2014 with such intimacy that he was personally involved in their marriage games, and his friendship with Sophia Charlotte (sister of British King George I) remained deeply personal until the end of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>What made him stay in music when he could\u2019ve stayed a suave diplomat, navigating the treacherous water of European regional politics? It was the War of the Spanish Succession, a 13-year long conflict that changed the entire continental division of Europe: \u201cFeeling remorse about not being able to prevent the war, Steffani retreated back to music, seeking solace\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, even a 13-year long war wasn\u2019t enough to keep him out of politics for too long. The Church decided to promote him to become the Bishop of Spiga, and that made him the representative of the Church in German-speaking Northern Europe. Mediating the reconciliation between the Pope and the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, post-Spanish Succession War, Steffani moved fast in utmost secrecy.\u00a0 The deal did come through, and the Pope expressed his gratitude in 1709, allowing him to celebrate Mass in St. Peters, and elevating him to be an assistant at the pontifical throne \u2014 quite an unusual privilege for any politician-musician-clergy!<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it was his political success that put his music in the shadow, but Steffani\u2019s musical influence went far beyond himself.<\/p>\n<p>Taurins says \u201cwhen Steffani was about to leave Hanover, there was this young German boy he heard about \u2014 that was Handel. Steffani likely had mentored Handel, especially on Handel\u2019s trip to Italy, and his succession to the position of Kapellmeister of Hanover \u2026 this relationship has a profound effect on Handel\u2019s music &#8211; Steffani\u2019s music, especially vocal works, is so mellifluous, and it is so perfectly written for the voice, and it\u2019s probable that Handel has seen this, and was deeply influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steffani\u2019s music, though quite new to us, was internationally popular in his time, especially in England. After the death of Queen Anne, England \u2018took\u2019 then-elector of Hanover, Georg Ludwig, in the absence of surviving children by Queen Anne (despite seventeen pregnancies!), to be their new king: George I, the first monarch of the House of Hanover for the British throne.\u00a0 And he brought his <em>everything<\/em> to England, including Steffani\u2019s music.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This explains the existence of Steffani\u2019s manuscripts in England, as part of the Royal Collection, now housed in the British Library, and also in Cambridge, at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and elsewhere in the U.K. The English fell in love with Steffani\u2019s music \u2014 so much that even though Steffani never set foot in England, they made him the honorary president of the Academy of Vocal Music, which then became the Academy of Ancient Music (*no relation to the current modern ensemble Academy of Ancient Music).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Steffani wrote the <em>Stabat Mater<\/em> as a thank-you gift to the Academy of Vocal Music.\u00a0 As one of his last compositions, it shows the mastery of sacred vocal writing &#8211; a continuation from the famous Carissimi: \u201cHere, Steffani is using all three elements \u2014 polyphony, effect and counterpoint, at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s6F1xK4fV7I?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Taurins has paired <em>Stabat Mater<\/em> with one of Steffani\u2019s earliest works, <em>Beatus vir a 8<\/em>, along with varied vocal and instrumental music from his operas.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FNVDVxvGBJA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u201cCecilia Bartoli\u2019s <em>Mission<\/em> really inspired me &#8211; so for this program, I made a short list of vocal works, and then sat down with [Krisztina] Szab\u00f3, and we combed it through.\u00a0 This is a true mix of love, hate, revenge \u2014 all of the human conditions, and Steffani illustrates them so beautifully&#8230;\u00a0 After hearing Steffani, when I hear Handel, I can hear the influence, especially in the oratorio arias \u2014 the long-spinning vocal lines, and the addition of the instrumental counterpoint\u2026 We\u2019ve done Steffani\u2019s music on our 35th-anniversary \u2014 selections from the <em>Stabat Mater<\/em>, and we all fell in love, so we\u2019ve decided to present it as a whole this time.\u00a0 It is otherworldly, very mystical \u2014 it&#8217;s atmospheric, and it has such a core to the sound.\u00a0 So, we\u2019ve built this program with <em>Stabat Mater<\/em> as a centre, then arranged other smaller works \u2014 vocal duets, trios and quartets, with pillars of choruses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And it did not take much for Krisztina Szab\u00f3 to see the ravishing beauty of Steffani:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had not been familiar with Steffani\u2019s work prior to Ivars\u2019 introduction \u2014 and now I wonder why his work is not performed more often,&#8221; said\u00a0Szab\u00f3. &#8220;He writes beautiful melodies for the singer and for the ensemble, and he creates a new world in each aria\u2026 His fascinating history, from music, to politics, then finding his way back to music in his later life, it\u2019s all in the <em>Stabat Mater<\/em>.\u00a0 The rich polyphonic texture of the orchestra and the spinning of the melodies certainly show his gift in operatic writing too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This collaboration between Tafelmusik and Krisztina Szab\u00f3 promises the new and familiar &#8211; and for Krisztina, it\u2019s always a pleasure to sing in Toronto:<\/p>\n<p>\u201c There\u2019s no place like home &#8211; I love singing in my home city \u2014 Toronto audiences have always been very warm and very welcoming of me \u2014 they\u2019ve watched me grow over the past 20 years of my career, and I am very grateful.\u00a0 And to work with a high-calibre group such as Tafelmusik is always a thrill \u2014 the music becomes so fluid, exciting \u2014 it is a real collaboration. The acoustic in Trinity St. Paul\u2019s since the renovation is amazing, and its intimacy, being able to see the audience, and to engage with them when performing \u2014 it feels like the audience and I are all connected in this musical experience together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suspense? Beauty? Polymath?<\/p>\n<p><em>Drama &amp; Devotion<\/em> promises much intrigue.<\/p>\n<p>Ever wondered what happened between old Italian masters: Monteverdi, Carissimi and Cavalli, to the Baroque greats: Vivaldi, Handel and Bach? In between Quickfire coloratura and drama and religious ecstasy?<\/p>\n<p>Do come and discover the splendid world of Steffani.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xOOHe9m-sJY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tafelmusik.org\/concert-calendar\/concert\/steffani-drama-devotion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Steffani: Drama &amp; Devotion<\/a>,<br \/>\nDirected by Ivars Taurins,<br \/>\nKrisztina Szab\u00f3 (mezzo-soprano),<br \/>\nTafelmusik Orchestra &amp; Chamber Choir,<br \/>\n08-11 November 2018, at Trinity-St. Paul\u2019s Centre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bach we know&#8230; Handel, of course. But Steffani? This is all about to change in Toronto this November when Tafelmusik Orchestra &#038; Chamber Choir will present a program dedicated to Agostino Steffani\u2019s sacred and secular works: Drama and Devotion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":56701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14761,19,21,4557,15953,63],"tags":[191,1651,4709,3223],"yst_prominent_words":[23974,23964,23973,23963,6605,11831,23970,23962,12608,6616,23976,23968,23971,22505,22506,23972,23965,8307,23967,23961],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/11\/Drama-And-Devotion.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-eKr","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56695"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56719,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56695\/revisions\/56719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56695"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=56695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}