Thanks to Cecilia Bartoli, the arias of the almost forgotten Baroque master Agostino Steffani have been rediscovered.

The Italian Steffani arrived aged 13 at the court of the Bavarian elector Ferdinand Maria. Following a profound musical training he was appointed chamber music director, a position he kept until 1688 in Munich, moving later to the courts in Hanover and Brussels. Steffani’s life also coincided with the highest diplomatic circles occupied by Germany and the Vatican. His intimate compositions for two singers and instrumental accompaniment were originally presented in aristocratic circles of connoisseurs. Exactly the right territory for Steffani: a scintillating figure between secret political missions and the concert hall!

Forma Antiqva under musical director Aarón Zapico perform this emotional and technical virtuoso music with the soprano Eugenia Boix, the alto Carlos Mena, cellist Ruth Verona and Aarón, Daniel and Pablo Zapico. 'Dangerous liaisons' set to music by Agostino Steffani