Catalogue

Summary:

Greetings from Italy where music is everywhere! Celebrating 20 years of an illustrious international career with their 14th recording and first on AVIE, the multiple award-winning Quartetto di Cremona sends Italian Postcards, assembling evocations of the Mediterranean country by four non-natives. Mozart penned his first string quartet during his first Italian journey to the town of Lodi. Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade takes its inspiration from poetry and ancient Italian melodies. Extending the quartet repertoire, the Cremona commissioned British-French-Israeli composer Nimrod Borenstein, whose Cieli d’Italia was inspired by the colours of the Italian skies. The album’s idyllic conclusion is Tchaikovsky’s string sextet, “Souvenir de Florence,” in which the Cremona is joined by violist Ori Kam (Jerusalem Quartet) and cellist Eckart Runge (former founding member of the Artemis Quartet).

critical acclaim for Quartetto di Cremona
“as sleek and elegant as an Armani suit” – The Strad

“Performances of great personality” – Gramophone

“They play with fervour and flair.” – The Guardian

Tracklist:

HUGO WOLF (1860 – 1903)
1. Italian Serenade in G (6.50)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756 – 1791)
String Quartet No. 1 in G, K. 80, “Lodi”
2. Adagio (8.02)
3. Allegro (4.08)
4. Menuetto (2.31)
5. Rondeau: Allegro (2.50)

NIMROD BORENSTEIN (b. 1969)
6. Cieli d’Italia, Op. 88 for string quartet (7.20)
world-premiere recording, commissioned by the Cremona Quartet

PYOTR ILYCH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840 – 1893)
String Sextet in D minor, Op. 70, “Souvenir de Florence”
7. I. Allegro con spirito (10.32)
8. II. Adagio cantabile e con moto (10.09)
9. III. Allegretto moderato (6.40)
10. IV. Allegro con brio e vivace (7.13)

Total time: 66.20

Recorded December 2019, Palazzina Banna, Tenuta Banna, Poirino (Torino)
Producer and engineer: Michael Seberich

Reviews:

The Strad - Read here...