Quartetto Noûs was formed in 2011 in Rome and in a short time has won acclaim throughout Italy and abroad for the warmth of its sound and the intelligence of its interpretations. It takes its name from the Greek for ‘mind’ or ‘rationality’, but also ‘inspiration’ and ‘creativity’.

Reviews from The Strad of performances they have given in the UK praise their playing as ‘forthright and well-proportioned’ with ‘strong and symphonic conviction’. Music Magazine calls Quartetto Noûs ‘one of the most interesting and innovative quartets of today, specializing in contemporary repertoire’.

In Italy, the Quartetto Noûs performs regularly in concerts and festivals and has made numerous appearances in Germany, Switzerland, England, France, Spain, Canada, United States, Brazil, South Korea and China. Recordings in progress include the complete cycle of Shostakovich string quartets with the label Brilliant Classics.

The opening work in today’s concert is a piece by Silvia Colasanti, multi-award-winning composer of orchestral, dramatic, operatic and chamber works. In ‘Due Destini’, she explores the tonal possibilities of the string quartet. This will be followed by Shostakovich’s fourth string quartet, suppressed in the Soviet Union until after Stalin’s death in 1953 for being politically and ideologically unacceptable. The elegiac opening gives way to darker themes before returning to a folk-like atmosphere in its miraculous conclusion. Finally, the quartet will play Dvořák’s opus 51, nicknamed the ‘Slavonic’ for its warm lyricism and exuberant Bohemian dance tunes.

The brilliant, hugely expressive Quartetto Noûs opened our concert series in 2022 and we are thrilled to have these performers back to play in the Holywell Music Room.

Ekaterina Valiulina (violin), Alberto Franchin (violin), Sarah Dambruoso (viola), Riccardo Baldizzi (cello)

Photo credit © 2024 Quartetto Noûs