Zani: Concerti da Chiesa Op.II

Not very much is known about Andrea Zani’s (1696-1757) life. Antonio Caldara, master of the music at court in Mantua, invited him to accompany him on a journey to Vienna where Caldara also held the post of assistant master of the music at the Habsburg court. Zani arrived in Vienna sometime between 1727 and 1729 and actively participated in the concert scene and as a composer for the following few years. Zani left Vienna after the death of his patron Caldara in 1736, and returned to Italy where he spent the rest of his life

His Op. 2, published in 1729 in his native town Casalmaggiore (near Mantua), consists of six each of symphonies and concertos. The chamber symphonies are modest compositions for string orchestra in a relatively simple and incisive musical style. The concertos on the other hand are certainly the more significant compositions in the collection. Here Zani puts all his talents to use, creating splendid compositions for violin and string orchestra in the solemn church style. The present disc features five of these concertos.

Zani was certainly well acquainted with the style and compositions of Vivaldi. Vivaldi’s influence is unmistakeable in the musical language, formal models and instrumental figures of Zani’s collection Op. 2. Zani’s instrumental writing in the solo passages is remarkable for its maturity. Here we find all the typical elements of solo violin virtuosity in the 18th century: scale progressions, arpeggios, frequent use of repeated chords, broken chords, double-stopping passages and the complete and frequent use of all five left hand positions currently in use at the time.