Cremona String Quartet

Last update: before 2019
Internationally renowned for their "extremely mature and lyrical sound" (Strad), the Quartetto di Cremona now grace the stages of the most prestigious venues. Their focus and intensity brings life to music from the “tight blend and immaculate voicing” of their Brahms to the “sleek and elegant” dynamic countouring of their Mozart (Strad). The Quartetto di Cremona’s dedication to their work as a string quartet shows through their music. The Quartetto di Cremona formed in 2000 at the Stauffer Academy of Salvatore Accardo in Cremona and continued their studies at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and with Hatto Beyerle of the Alban Berg Quartet. In 2003 they won second prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. Shortly afterwards they won first prizes at the prestigious Vittorio Veneto Competition, the seventh Cremona International Competition and second prize at the V. Gui International Competition in Florence. In 2005 the Quartetto di Cremona received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. Building on their early successes, the Quartetto di Cremona have played to critical acclaim at the most important venues and festivals in Europe including at the Beethoven Haus and BeethovenFest Bonn, Konzerthaus (Berlin), Klara Festival (Brussels), Mecklenberg Vorpommen Music Festival, Båstad Chamber Music Festival, Turku Music Festival, Handelsbeurs (Gent), Moving on Music Festival (Northern Ireland, recorded by BBC Radio 3), and numerous performances at the Wigmore Hall (London). The Quartetto di Cremona has toured extensively in Australia and performed at the renowned Perth International Art Festival Australia. In the USA, they have played at Barge Music New York and recently won the eleventh Web Concert Hall Competition. In their homeland of Italy they have made their name performing at the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome and the most renowned Italian music societies of Genoa, Palermo, Bologna, and Naples, to name but a few. The Quartet was nominated "Artist in Residence" at the Societa' del Quartetto of Milan and will be involved in various projects and collaborations culminating in 2014 for the 150th anniversary of the Societa' del Quartetto – when they will perform the complete cycle of Beethoven quartets. Recent and forthcoming tours include engagements in the USA, Japan, Mexico and China and in Europe the Quartetto di Cremona will tour the UK, Italy, Scandinavia, Germany, and make a debut tour of Austria. In 2013-14 highlights include appearances at the Wigmore Hall, Lancaster International Concerts and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Chamber Series. The Quartetto di Cremona collaborates regularly with soloists such as Bruno Giuranna, Alessandro Carbonare, Andrea Lucchesini, Angela Hewitt, Ivo Pogorelich, Lilya Zilberstein, Cédric Tiberghien and Pieter Wispelwey. Their extensive repertoire ranges from the early Haydn quartets to the present day, with particular interest in contemporary Italian music including the composers Vacchi, Berio and Nono. Their debut recording for Decca encompassed the complete string quartets by Fabio Vacchi, released in April 2011. The German Label Audite released their recording of Italian composers, ‘Italian Journey’ in November 2012, about which Gramophone Magazine wrote 'listening to this recording making the music sound so immediate... is nothing less than life-affirming'. During the two seasons 2012-14 the Quartetto di Cremona will record the complete Beethoven String Quartets for Audite. The first volume has already received outstanding accolades, including from BBC Music Magazine - 'The Quartetto di Cremona exude phenomenal energy and momentum, making their interpretation of Op.95 particularly compelling’. An important part of the Quartetto di Cremona’s activity is teaching master classes throughout Europe. Since autumn 2011, the Quartet has taught at the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona. Paolo Andreoli plays a PAOLO ANTONIO TESTORE, Milano 1750 circa, kindly loaned by the KULTURFOND PETER E. ECKE.