About us
A brief description of the Ring Around Quartet.
In 1993 four Genoese singers got together and founded The Ring Around Quartet. Since then, they have been performing vocal music of many kinds, enjoying increasing success thanks to their unique blend of voices, careful selection of repertoire and communicative stage presence.
Early music is one of The Ring Around Quartet’s favourite repertoires, comprising all genres of 15th- and 16th-century European vocal music, such as chanson, madrigal and villanella—with special preference for Franco-Flemish composers such as Josquin, Janequin, and Lasso. Pursuing the essential premise that a successful concert is one where the audience enjoys itself, The Ring Around Quartet developed Gioco di voci and A tavola con Lasso, theatrical concerts which feature, where possible, costumes and stage lighting. All choreography and direction have been developed by the members of the quartet themselves.
The quartet also tackles sacred repertoire, especially from the renaissance and medieval period, mostly by French and Franco-Flemish composers. Also, in 2004, in collaboration with Maestro Gian Enrico Cortese, the quartet took part in a research project from unpublished sources and presented works by authors born or living in Liguria around 16th century. This programme includes world premiere recordings and performances.
Since 1997 The Ring Around Quartet has also been exploring the language of contemporary music, often in direct collaboration with composers. That year they recorded a CD and gave live performances of Musiche per Van Dyck, a collection of compositions written by living composers inspired by the Flemish school. Since then, they have received and performed world premieres by Claudio Ambrosini, Andrea Basevi Gambarana, Mauro Castellano, Pieralberto Cattaneo, Piero Caraba, Matteo D’Amico, Riccardo Dapelo, Raoul De Smet, Federico Ermirio, Ennio Morricone, Raymond Schroyens, and Mauro Zuccante. It is with this repertoire that The Ring Around Quartet was awarded the Best Italian Ensemble and Best Solo-Voice Ensemble prizes at the 42nd Seghizzi International Choral Competition.
The quartet has specialised itself in early and contemporary music with Rachid Safir in summer 2003, and with The Hilliard Ensemble in summer 2004.
Recent concerts by The Ring Around Quartet include the “Concerti del Quirinale di Radiotre” broadcast live by Italian national public radio RAI; the “Festival of Two Worlds” in Spoleto; the “Società Filarmonica di Trento” concert; the “Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de’ Turchini” concert season in Naples; the “Saison Musicale Fondation Royaumont” in Royaumont Abbey (Paris) directed by Rachid Safir; the “Incontri europei con la musica” in Bergamo; the “Chant Sacrés en Méditerranée” Festival in Marseilles and other concert seasons all around Italy, from Capua in the south to Turin in the north.
“At the Spoleto [Festival] the revelation has been the Ring Around Quartet, performing at the Mid Day Concert. The young and congenial Italian group mainly performs French Renaissance repertoire, and does so with extraordinary grace and insightful expressiveness, flawless intonation, pronunciation adequate to the spirit of the texts sung. In a word, they could be called perfect.”
Dino Villatico, La Repubblica, 30 June 2003.
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