The Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut is organizing, for the Beirut Chants Festival and as part of its 2025 edition, a concert by the renowned Quartetto di Cremona.
ARTISTS
Cristiano Gualco – violin Nicola Amati, Cremona 1640
Paolo Andreoli – violin Paolo Antonio Testore, Milano ca. 1758 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes)
Simone Gramaglia – viola Giovanni Paolo Maggini “Joyce”, Brescia ca.1625 (Fondazione Pro Canale, Milano)
Giovanni Scaglione – cello Dom Nicola Amati, Bologna 1712 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes)
PROGRAM
Part I
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750):
Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080 (The Art of Fugue)
Bach’s final, monumental exploration of contrapuntal writing, a spiritual and intellectual journey through the infinite possibilities of the fugue.
-Intermission-
Part II
Frantz Schubert (1797-1828)
String Quartet nº 14 in D minor, D. 810
“Der Tod und das Mädchen” (Death and the Maiden)
Composed in 1824, this quartet stands as one of Shubert’s most intense and dramatic works, built around his earlier lied “Death and the Maiden”. It is both a confrontation with mortality and a testament to human resilience.
1. Allegro
2. Andante con moto – Variations on the lied “Der Tod un das Mädchen”
3. Scherzo: Allegro molto – Trio
4. Presto – Tarantella
BIOGRAPHY
Founded in 2000 within the Walter Stauffer Academy of Cremona, the Quartetto di Cremona has quickly gained a prominent place on the international music scene. For over twenty years, the stable formation consisting of Cristiano Gualco and Paolo Andreoli on violins, Simone Gramaglia on viola, and Giovanni Scaglione on cello has brought to the world a vision of chamber music that combines rigor, sensitivity, and a distinctly Italian elegance.
Since its early days, the Quartet has distinguished itself by its ability to blend the great Italian performance tradition with a modern, vibrant, and communicative vision. Their interpretations – known for their depth, attention to detail, and a timbral quality of extraordinary refinement – effortlessly traverse centuries of repertoire: from Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven to the languages of contemporary music, never losing a special focus on the Italian musical heritage, which the Quartet passionately promotes and renews.
Their artistic journey has taken them to perform in the most beloved and prestigious concert halls in the world: from the Wigmore Hall in London to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, from the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg to the Società del Quartetto in Milan. Their recordings for the Audite label, including the complete Beethoven Quartets, have garnered awards, enthusiasm, and unanimous recognition from international critics.
Alongside their concert activity, the members of the Quartetto di Cremona devote a fundamental part of their careers to teaching. Since 2011, they have been professors at the Stauffer Academy, where they train young musicians from all over the world, passing on an artistic heritage based on experience, research, and dedication.
Recognized as ambassadors of excellence for their city – which granted the Quartet honorary citizenship in 2015 – the group also received the prestigious Franco Buitoni Award in 2019, a testament to their role in promoting Italian chamber music worldwide.
In 2025, twenty-five years after their debut, the Quartetto di Cremona continues to represent one of the brightest realities in the contemporary music scene: an ensemble that, with dedication and inspiration, preserves and renews the most authentic spirit of the great Cremonese tradition.