Biography
Quartetto di Cremona
Cristiano Gualco violin
Paolo Andreoli violin
Simone Gramaglia viola
Giovanni Scaglione cello
The four musicians were excellent interpreters of a repertoire that is not only largely unknown in our country, but which the four gentlemen also had to acquire first. That this was more than worthwhile may be proven by the intense applause of the audience.
OÖ Nachrichten Linz | April 2022
The playing was marked by admirable unanimity and blend […] An evening full of splendid music-making.
Classical Sources | February 2022
An album for the ensemble’s 20th anniversary that offers the highest level of listening pleasure!
Rondomagazin | November 2020
An unexpected emphasis here, an unusual moment of phrasing there: the Cremona Quartet are unpredictable, but never mannered in these Schubert chamber masterpieces. They capture the profound beauty of both works.
BBC Music Magazine | July 2019
Indeed, in Beethoven cycle, the Quartetto di Cremona presents itself as an eminent ambassador of the Italian Quartet Culture and, at the same time, confirms its position as an ensemble of international excellence.
Fono Forum | January 2018
Since its formation in 2000, the Quartetto di Cremona has established a reputation as one of the most exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage. Regularly invited to perform in major music festivals and halls in Europe, North and South America, and Far East, they garner universal acclaim for their high level of interpretive artistry.
Highlights of recent and upcoming seasons are the performances at the Wigmore Hall (London), at the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), at the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, at the Brucknerhaus (Linz), at the Salle de la Madeleine (Geneve), in Stockholm, Schwarzenberg, Kuhmo, Mumbai, Taipei, and for the Fundación Juan March in Madrid and the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center in New York. North American tours are regularly planned twice a year, with the Carnegie Hall debut scheduled for October 2023 as well as a re-invitation from the CMS in March 2024 at the Lincoln Center.
The Quartet is also collaborating with numerous artists such as Eckart Runge, Till Fellner, Pablo Barragan, Kit Armstrong, Miguel da Silva, the Emerson Quartet and the Pavel Haas Quartet.
On the discographic side, a new CD will soon be released with the ensemble own version of The Art of Fugue, performed with seven instruments so as not to alter the original writing of Bach’s score.
Previous recordings include: “Italian Postcards” (2020, Avie Records); a double CD dedicated to Schubert (2019, Audite); the complete Beethoven String Quartets (20128, Audite). All of them were received with great interest by international critics, as well as winning discographic prizes.
Frequently invited to present masterclasses in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the members of the quartet have been Professors at the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona since 2011.<
Prized in 2019 with the “Franco Buitoni Award” by BBT for their constant contribution to the promotion of chamber music in Italy and around the world, they are ambassadors for the international project “Friends of Stradivari” and honorary citizen of Cremona. They also endorse “Le Dimore del Quartetto” and Thomastik Infield Strings.
Cristiano Gualco violin Nicola Amati, Cremona 1640
Paolo Andreoli violin Paolo Antonio Testore, Milano ca. 1758 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes)
Simone Gramaglia viola Gioachino Torazzi, ca. 1680 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes)
Giovanni Scaglione cello Dom Nicola Amati, Bologna 1712 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes)
Updated: April 2023