Antonio Agri
Encyclopedia
Antonio Agri was an Argentine violinist, composer and conductor prominent in both the tango
and classical music
genres.
, Argentina
, in 1932. He was taught music locally by Dermidio Guastavino, and in 1947, he made his professional debut in Córdoba as member of a quartet. Later, in Rosario, he joined orchestras led by Julián Chera, Lincoln Garrot and José Sala. He later joined a quartet, Los poetas del Tango, and eventually led a string quintet, the Quinteto de Arcos Torres/Agri.
He later joined the Rosario Symphony Orchestra, though in 1961, Nito Farace (a violinist in the Aníbal Troilo
Orchestra for decades) recommended him to Ástor Piazzolla
. Piazzolla invited Agri to take part in the Quinteto Nuevo Tango, and the debut took place in April 1962. Agri later played in the Nuevo Octeto (1963), and played as sideman in well-known orchestras headed by Osvaldo Fresedo
, Horacio Salgán
, Mariano Mores
, Alberto Caracciolo
and Roberto Pansera. Piazzolla made Agri the lead violin in his 1968 musical, María de Buenos Aires
, and the two continued their association in 1971 as part of the Conjunto 9, recording for RCA Victor. Agri toured with the Conjunto internationally, though he left to accept a commission as a company violinist in the prestigious Teatro Colón opera house, in Buenos Aires (Agri later admitted regretting this move).
He formed his own string ensemble (violin
s, viola
s, cello
s and double bass
), in 1973. His Mosalini/Agri Quintet, based in Paris
and co-directed by Juan José Mosalini, also featured Agri's son, Pablo, with whom the violinist often performed as a duo. He later co-founded the Nuevo Quinteto Real with pianist Horacio Salgán
, bandoneon
ist Leopoldo Federico (later replaced by Néstor Marconi), guitarist Ubaldo De Lío, and drummers Omar Murtagh and Oscar Giunta. Among their best known albums was the 1975 anthology of the work of bandoneon
ist Aníbal Troilo
, Suite Troileana.
Agri recorded as featured guest soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
and in Paris
with flamenco
guitarist Paco de Lucía
, during the 1990s. The prolific volume of Agri's performances include solos in Retrato de Alfredo Gobbi, Ciudad triste, Los mareados, Éxtasis, Romance del diablo, Otoño porteño, and probably the best-known, in Piazzolla's intenseMilonga del ángel. He recorded Kokoró Kará ("From the Inside," in Japanese) with José Carli, and a compilation of his works, Antonio Agri: Tango Sinfónico, in 1997. The album included his numbers, Carambón and Sin pretención de nada ("With No Pretense at All").
The diminutive violinist was invited to take part in world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma
's dedication to Ástor Piazzolla, Soul of the Tango, in 1997. Following the album's recording, Agri joined the famous cellist on his promotional tour for the album. Agri's health, however, forced him to return to Buenos Aires. He was featured in Carlos Saura
's Tango
, and shortly after its premiere, Agri lost a battle with cancer on October 17, 1998, at age 66.
Soul of the Tango earned the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
, and Antonio Agri was honored posthumously.
Music critic Julio Nudler of the Buenos Aires daily Pagina/12
reflected that "Connoisseurs enjoy the profound tango flavor that he achieved hitting the violin with his bow, and if they had ever seen him playing, could listen to his records and picture his challenging posture, his chest sticking out and his feet firmly on the dais."
Agri, for his part, summarized his career by his belief that "The violin chose me. Because of that I’m a musician. Besides, as Atahualpa Yupanqui
said “there are people who dazzle and there are others who illuminate” –and I don’t want to dazzle."
Argentine tango
Argentine tango is a musical genre of simple quadruple metre and binary musical form, and the social dance that accompanies it. Its lyrics and music are marked by nostalgia, expressed through melodic instruments including the bandoneon. Originated at the ending of the 19th century in the suburbs of...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
genres.
Life and work
Antonio Agri was born in RosarioRosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, in 1932. He was taught music locally by Dermidio Guastavino, and in 1947, he made his professional debut in Córdoba as member of a quartet. Later, in Rosario, he joined orchestras led by Julián Chera, Lincoln Garrot and José Sala. He later joined a quartet, Los poetas del Tango, and eventually led a string quintet, the Quinteto de Arcos Torres/Agri.
He later joined the Rosario Symphony Orchestra, though in 1961, Nito Farace (a violinist in the Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
Orchestra for decades) recommended him to Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Piazzolla
Ástor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer and bandoneón player. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music...
. Piazzolla invited Agri to take part in the Quinteto Nuevo Tango, and the debut took place in April 1962. Agri later played in the Nuevo Octeto (1963), and played as sideman in well-known orchestras headed by Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo
Osvaldo Fresedo , nicknamed El pibe de La Paternal was an Argentine songwriter and director of a tango orchestra. He had the longest recording career in tango, from 1925 to 1980.- Career :...
, Horacio Salgán
Horacio Salgán
Horacio Adolfo Salgán is an Afro-Argentine pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and arranger who specializes in tango music....
, Mariano Mores
Mariano Mores
Mariano Martínez, better known as Mariano Mores , is a famous Argentine tango composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:...
, Alberto Caracciolo
Alberto Caracciolo
Alberto Pascual Caracciolo , was an Argentine tango musician, a musical arranger, orchestra director, composer and bandoneón player....
and Roberto Pansera. Piazzolla made Agri the lead violin in his 1968 musical, María de Buenos Aires
María de Buenos Aires
María de Buenos Aires is a tango opera with music by Ástor Piazzolla. and libretto by Horacio Ferrer which premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires in May 1968....
, and the two continued their association in 1971 as part of the Conjunto 9, recording for RCA Victor. Agri toured with the Conjunto internationally, though he left to accept a commission as a company violinist in the prestigious Teatro Colón opera house, in Buenos Aires (Agri later admitted regretting this move).
He formed his own string ensemble (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
), in 1973. His Mosalini/Agri Quintet, based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and co-directed by Juan José Mosalini, also featured Agri's son, Pablo, with whom the violinist often performed as a duo. He later co-founded the Nuevo Quinteto Real with pianist Horacio Salgán
Horacio Salgán
Horacio Adolfo Salgán is an Afro-Argentine pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and arranger who specializes in tango music....
, bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
ist Leopoldo Federico (later replaced by Néstor Marconi), guitarist Ubaldo De Lío, and drummers Omar Murtagh and Oscar Giunta. Among their best known albums was the 1975 anthology of the work of bandoneon
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
ist Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Troilo
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo was an Argentine tango musician.Anibal Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango , but he changed to a concert sound by the late 1950s...
, Suite Troileana.
Agri recorded as featured guest soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
and in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
guitarist Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
, during the 1990s. The prolific volume of Agri's performances include solos in Retrato de Alfredo Gobbi, Ciudad triste, Los mareados, Éxtasis, Romance del diablo, Otoño porteño, and probably the best-known, in Piazzolla's intenseMilonga del ángel. He recorded Kokoró Kará ("From the Inside," in Japanese) with José Carli, and a compilation of his works, Antonio Agri: Tango Sinfónico, in 1997. The album included his numbers, Carambón and Sin pretención de nada ("With No Pretense at All").
The diminutive violinist was invited to take part in world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
's dedication to Ástor Piazzolla, Soul of the Tango, in 1997. Following the album's recording, Agri joined the famous cellist on his promotional tour for the album. Agri's health, however, forced him to return to Buenos Aires. He was featured in Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura Atarés is a Spanish film director and photographer.-Early life:Born into a family of artists , he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies...
's Tango
Tango (1998 film)
Tango is a 1998 Argentine tango film written and directed by Carlos Saura and photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. The film is an Argentine and Spanish production.-Plot:...
, and shortly after its premiere, Agri lost a battle with cancer on October 17, 1998, at age 66.
Soul of the Tango earned the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album
The Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album was awarded from 1999 to 2011.The award will be discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Basically, the Best Classical Crossover Album category will disappear. If a classical crossover release is a non-classical artist...
, and Antonio Agri was honored posthumously.
Music critic Julio Nudler of the Buenos Aires daily Pagina/12
Página/12
Página/12 is a newspaper based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Página/12 was founded on May 25, 1987, by journalist Jorge Lanata in association with writer Osvaldo Soriano and investigative journalist Horacio Verbitsky...
reflected that "Connoisseurs enjoy the profound tango flavor that he achieved hitting the violin with his bow, and if they had ever seen him playing, could listen to his records and picture his challenging posture, his chest sticking out and his feet firmly on the dais."
Agri, for his part, summarized his career by his belief that "The violin chose me. Because of that I’m a musician. Besides, as Atahualpa Yupanqui
Atahualpa Yupanqui
Atahualpa Yupanqui was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century....
said “there are people who dazzle and there are others who illuminate” –and I don’t want to dazzle."