Quartetto Di Cremona – Thursday 9th July at the Wesley Chapel – audience member review by Clair Chadwick.
For those who have never seen a string quartet live and up close… you must: it’s a truly stunning experience and non-more so than the recital given last Thursday at Wesley chapel by the Quartetto di Cremona. They played with energy and consummate mastery of every musical detail; immaculately phrased bel canto lines effortlessly interwoven to transport a captivated audience on a journey through the musical riches of Italy.
The program which offered works by Boccherini, Respighi, Puccini and Verdi was essentially a master class in string quartet playing, the richness and warmth of the sound was remarkable. From the slightest whisper to the strongest forte, every note seemed to reach out as if to tell you something. Given the festivals chosen theme of creating a sense of place it is hard to imagine artists who could better fit the bill.
Yet all too soon it seemed it was over (though not quite yet…) for after much enthusiastic applause, we were treated to a delightful Verdi aria as an encore. Then as Cristiano Gualco (violin) Paolo Andreoli (violin) Simone Gramaglie (viola) and Giovanni Scaglione (cello) departed we were left with the warm glow of satisfaction you get when you realise that you have just experienced something spectacular.
The sense of intimacy with the artists and the music in this setting was truly moving and at the same time all was relaxed and good humoured throughout. (You can listen to classical music with a smile on your face… and many of the modern generation of performers would positively welcome it!) So, if you get the chance to see a string quartet up close… go. If it happens to be the Quartteto di Cremona then, you’re really in luck.
