With great likelihood – at least as far as it can be said almost 300 years later – these twelve duos for violin and cello without accompanying continuo of 1734 are the earliest works with this instrumentation in which the violin and cello parts enjoy equal rights.

The fact that Andrea Zani is largely forgotten today is probably due to the circumstance that his music has mainly been preserved in handwritten form and has hardly been accessible through recordings. Recently, the cello concertos (Capriccio C5145) and a few violin concertos have been re-discovered, but a large number of other treasures are still slumbering in different monastery and palace libraries throughout Europe.

In these duos, we can experience the minimal form of chamber music with the maximal entertainment value. Andrea Zani is a composer whose name is worth noting and from whom it is to be hoped that many more treasures can be recovered.