Quartetto di Cremona

Cristiano Gualco violin
Paolo Andreoli violin
Simone Gramaglia viola
Giovanni Scaglione cello

Musicians who promote and encourage chamber music in Italy and throughout the world.
I very much admire Quartetto di Cremona and all they do.
Ilaria Borletti Buitoni (BBT President) | March 2019

Ein Wunder! (A wonder!)
Der neue Merker | July 2019

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 in Europe, North and South America, and Far East, they garner universal acclaim for their high level of interpretive artistry.

“BBT Fellowship” prize winner in 2005, the Quartetto di Cremona received by the Borletti Buitoni Trust also the “Franco Buitoni Award” (2019 edition) for its constant contribution to the promotion of chamber music in Italy and around the world.

Noteworthy recent recording projects include a double CD dedicated to Schubert, released in Spring 2019 and featuring cellist Eckart Runge. The album was recorded with the Stradivarius set of instruments named “Paganini Quartet”, on kind loan from the Nippon Music Foundation (Tokyo) and attracted high levels of acclaim in the international press. Same goes for the Beethoven’s string quartets cycle, completed in 2018: the eight volumes won prestigious awards (including Echo Klassik 2017 and ICMA 2018) and received numerous recognitions from specialized critics.

The 2019/20 season includes a tour in North America and one in Holland, performances of the complete Beethoven quartets’ cycle in Italy, Albania and Taiwan, concerts in Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and Scandinavia, as well as several recitals at the major Italian musical institutions. Numerous are the collaborations with artists of the level of Angela Hewitt, Eckart Runge, David Orlowsky, Quartetto Emerson. 2020/21 season’s highlights include concerts in Geneva, Milan, Rome, at the Wigmore Hall in London and the debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

In 2020 the Quartetto di Cremona celebrates its first twenty years of career, an important milestone for an Italian ensemble. For the occasion, distinguished concerts and recording projects will be developed over consecutive seasons: several performances of the complete Beethoven quartets’ cycle, further CDs’ releases, a tour with Bach’s “The Art of the Fugue”, new music expressly composed for the Quartet.

Frequently invited to present masterclasses in Europe, Asia, North and South America, since 2011 they are Professors at the “Walter Stauffer Academy” in Cremona. They are ambassadors for the international project “Friends of Stradivari” and honorary citizens of Cremona, UNESCO Cultural Heritage for violin making. They are also testimonials for “Le Dimore del Quartetto” project and Thomastik Infield Strings.

Cristiano Gualco – violin Nicola Amati, Cremona 1640
Paolo Andreoli – violin Paolo Antonio Testore, Milano ca. 1758 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes, Germany)
Simone Gramaglia – viola Gioachino Torazzi, ca. 1680 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes, Germany)
Giovanni Scaglione – cello Dom Nicola Amati, Bologna 1712 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes, Germany)

Go back

Concerts with Quartetto di Cremona