Antonio Agri (May 5, 1932 – October 17, 1998) was an Argentine violinist, composer and conductor prominent in both the

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

genres.

Life and work

Antonio Agri was born in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, in 1932. He was taught music locally by Dermidio Guastavino, and in 1947, he made his professional debut in

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

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 Carmelo Troilo (11 July 1914 – 18 May 1975), also known as Pichuco, was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, arranger, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular wit ...

Orchestra for decades) recommended him to

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

. 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 (May 5, 1897 - November 18, 1984), nicknamed ''El pibe de La Paternal'' ("the kid from La Paternal") was an Argentine songwriter and director of a tango orchestra. He had one of the longest recording careers in tango history, from ...

Horacio Salgán Horacio Adolfo Salgán (June 15, 1916 – August 19, 2016) was an Argentine tango musician. He was born in Buenos Aires to an established Afro-Argentine family. Some of Salgán's most well-known compositions include ''Del 1 al 5 (Días de pago)'' ( ...

, Mariano Mores, Alberto Caracciolo and Roberto Pansera. Piazzolla made Agri the lead violin in his 1968 musical, ''

María de Buenos Aires ''María de Buenos Aires'' is a tango opera (''tango operita'') with music by Ástor PiazzollaSCP 2005. and libretto by Horacio Ferrer that premiered at the Sala Planeta in Buenos Aires on 8 May 1968. The first part of the surreal plot centers ...

'', and the two continued their association in 1971 as part of the

Conjunto 9 Conjunto 9 (a.k.a. Noneto) was a tango ensemble set up by Ástor Piazzolla which was active between 1971 and 1972. The short-lived ensemble was based on Piazzolla’s first Quinteto, comprising Astor Piazzolla (bandoneon), Osvaldo Manzi (later ...

, recording for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. Agri toured with the Conjunto internationally, though he left to accept a commission as a company violinist in the prestigious

Teatro Colón The Teatro Colón () is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acoustics expert Leo Beranek among leadin ...

opera house, in Buenos Aires (Agri later admitted regretting this move).''Clarín'': Murió el violinista Antonio Agri
/ref> He formed his own string ensemble (

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

s and

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

), in 1973. His Mosalini/Agri Quintet, based in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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

bandoneon The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...

ist

Leopoldo Federico Leopoldo Federico (12 January 1927 – 28 December 2014) was an Argentine bandoneon player, arranger, director and composer. Life Born in the district of Once in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Federico was one of the most prolific bandoneo ...

(later replaced by Néstor Marconi), guitarist

Ubaldo De Lío Ubaldo is a masculine Italian and Spanish given name, from Germanic ''hug'' "mind" and ''bald'' "bold". Notable people with the name include: *Ubald of Gubbio (Ubaldo Baldassini) (c. 1084 – 1160), Italian bishop and Catholic saint * Guido Ubaldo ...

, and bassists Omar Murtagh and Oscar Giunta. Among their best known albums was the 1975 anthology of the work of

ist

, ''Suite Troileana''.''Página/12'': El violín que amó Piazzolla
/ref> Agri recorded as featured guest soloist with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

and in

with

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

guitarist

Paco de Lucía Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamen ...

, 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 intense''Milonga 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 (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

'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 Atarés (4 January 1932 – 10 February 2023) was a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. With Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be among Spain's great filmmakers. He had a long and prolific career th ...

's ''

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

'', 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 The Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album was awarded from 1999 to 2011. The award was discontinued from 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In the present day, if a classical crossover release is a non-classical artist making ...

, 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 Atahualpa Yupanqui (; born Héctor Roberto Chavero Aramburu; 31 January 1908 – 23 May 1992) was an Argentine- Spanish singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered one of the most important Argentine folk musicians of the 20th cen ...

said “there are people who dazzle and there are others who illuminate” –and I don’t want to dazzle."''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agri, Antonio 1932 births 1998 deaths Argentine people of Italian descent Musicians from Rosario, Santa Fe Argentine tango musicians Argentine male composers Grammy Award winners Deaths from cancer in Argentina 20th-century Argentine violinists 20th-century Argentine composers 20th-century Argentine male musicians Label Bleu artists