This album contains first recordings of works from the Opus 3 series of canzonettas and cantatas for two voices by Giovanni Battista Mazzaferrata (ca. 1640-1681). He was an Italian composer and organist from Pavia who studied with Tarquinio Merula and held positions as Kapellmeister at the Cathedral of Vercelli (1658-63) and at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara (1665-81).

Opus 3 was published in Bologna in 1668 and dedicated to Count Angelo Porro of Milan. This album contains six of the eleven compositions in the collection: Libertà in Amor, Che impertinente usanza and Che t'ho fatto o Speranza are canzonettas; Angosciosi deliri and Tormenti, che volete? are more serious songs; and Rifiuto d'Amor is a cantata.

Formally, the compositions consist of several sections played attacca, covering all the main Baroque genres, such as arias in duet, arias for solo voice with basso continuo, secco and accompanied recitatives, as well as more theatrical recitations. Mazzaferrata's compositional technique achieves both expressive and structural contrasts between the sections. In accordance with the Seconda Prattica, a "concertation" (dialog) of the voices (even with the active presence of the instrumental bass) dominates, using counterpoint and imitation, canon, stretta and motif changes. The composer also uses rhetorical figures (theory of affections) and madrigalimes (word painting) in all his works. The vocal parts are virtuosic and suggest bel canto-style coloratura, characterized by melismas and large leaps.

Mazzaferrata's music conveys an impression of versatility: on the one hand, these compositions were written long before 1680 according to the rhetorical rules of Baldassare Castiglione in Il libro del Cortegiano, including the lightness ("sprezzatura") of Caccini and Peri and the influence of Monteverdi; on the other hand, fragments contain innovations reminiscent of the late Baroque with Bach's basso movimentato. The composer thus builds a bridge between the past and the future.

Further information:
- The bilingual booklet in English and Italian contains liner notes by Paweł Strzelecki and portraits of all the artists.

- This CD presents the first recording of the Canzonettas & Cantatas Op. 3 by Giovanni Battista Mazzaferrata (ca. 1640-1681), an Italian composer and organist from Pavia who was a pupil of Tarquinio Merula. He was maestro di cappella at Vercelli Cathedral and at the Accademia della Morte in Ferrara.

- These vocal works deal with secular poetry, mostly love, and express both blissful happiness and agonizing frustration.

- The emotions in the text are expressed by Mazzaferrate through modulations, cadences and an original use of chromaticism.

- Beautifully sung by the three vocal soloists Carlotta Colombo (soprano), Marta Fumagalli (mezzo-soprano) and Mauro Borgioni (baritone). The instrumental ensemble includes trombone, guitar and organ/harpsichord.