Casals Hall – Tokyo, Japan

The Quartetto Foné greatly impressed the audience by arousing Shostakovich’s message of anger against fascism and sympathy to war victims through their majestic perfomance of the piece (String Quartet #8)… In Webern’s Langsamer Satz, the Fonè evoked late Romanticism with a rich, colorful, and well – balanced sound.

“Musica Nova” by Sakura Amamia

The Foné performed with overflowing, glorious emotion which created a great atmosphere of late Romanticism.

“Ongaku Gendai” (Music Today) by H. Asaoka

A New Way of Playing by an Italian Quartet

Enthusiasm for Q.F. at the 10th Summer Concert in Langenargen
… The concert was exceptional – not only because every work was played from memory, but also because the result was a charming unity of sound … Generally speaking, it is not so easy for Italian musicians to conquer a German audience, but The Quartetto Foné succeeded … Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were rendered with youthful commitment, temperament, discipline and awareness. Polyphonic movements were clearly rendered, as well as connections among sound, rhythm, dynamics and harmony which were perfectly displayed and clarified thanks to the constant attentiveness of these musicians. …The sound was defined by fine dynamic nuances and with a charming unity so that all the compositions received even more depth and expression. Rhythmic elements were played in a “virtuoso” style and the well-known technical difficulties were solved with èlan and measured zeal. After the stormy applause, they played an encore by Debussy; precision, clearness of sound and concentration once again became evident in this last work, which sounded even more expressive. This quartet marked a new style in playing.

by “SCHWABISCHE ZEITUNG”, Germany

String Quartet as Experience

…Foné played a very interesting program with absolute competence. Each member of the quartet is by himself a pre-eminent musician and furthermore they played together in a frame of perfect harmony… the members of the quartet displayed constant attentivess to one another and played with great lightness and precision…In particular, the performance of the Beethoven op. 59 n.2 third and fourth movements made a deep impression. All of the voices and polyphonic movements were perfect, and the development of the motives could be clearly recognized…the complete uniformity of the several motives and sound offered an extraordinary listening experience.

by “NEUE ZEIT”, Graz (Austria)

The Vehemence and Virtues of the Quartetto Foné

… Seldom is one able to point out, as on this occasion, the presence of such thoughtful, sharing and unanimous expressiveness of all the performers. This is truly the one distinctive character of the Fonè Quartet, beyond the personal qualities of its four instrumentalists.

by Leonardo Pinzauti “LA NAZIONE”, Firenze

In Connecticut, via Tokyo, Germanic Quartets

The Quartetto Foné produced a beautifully blended sound, a model of poise and balance, and there were wonderful moments in the more lyrical inner movements, particularly in the Cavatina (from Beethoven op. 130).

by “THE NEW YORK TIMES”, U.S.A.

A Young Quartet of Great Promise

(…) high level of performing, it was even excellent – in particular the Adagio, which they played with a great sense of introspection, so as to be very interesting and truly involving… There was beautiful technique, a perfect sense of ensemble playing, formal structure, and great sound control…This quartet will have a long and successful future.

by Michelangelo Zurletti “LA REPUBBLICA”, Roma

Unforgettable Elegies

…Quartetto Foné, the ideal and genuine heir of the Quartetto Italiano. The “core” of the Quartetto Fonè performance is in slow movements, in which “cantabile” combines itself with deep introspection. This group has a preference for a “Furtwanglerian” expansion of tempi and for a thoughtful, elegiac coulour…The polished analysis of timbres goes along with a watchful formal consciousness; this is particularly evident in their performances of the quartets of Beethoven. The Fonè defines with clarity the choices between rhythmic tensions and “cantabile”.

by Antonio Messinis “IL GAZZETTINO”, Venezia

CD Reviews

… Quartetto Foné interpreted the masterwork of Schubert (Cello Quintet) with a richness and depth that went beyond the already very good performance from the instrumental and technical point of view…they entered into a very rarely- explored ethical dimension of musical feeling… there is the coexistence of group cooperation and individual capacities … They gave to the this wonderful piece a convincing voice not often heard, which involves the listener even more than other well-known and sacred presonalities of the international music stage.

by “PIANOTIME”, Italy

Schubert: String Quintet

The slow movement…has nice variations between non-vibrato and normal playing…This performance gives the impression of musicians who really love Schubert – and as I’ve said before, I am a sucker for this kind of playing.

by “American Record Guide”, U.S.A.

In the Schubert Quintet, the Foné ‘s timbre was clear and transparent even though the piece includes two cellos, darkening the natural timbre of the string quartet. Often at the moments of more intense expression the sound became even clearer – a focused, spectral sound, recalling (and one can understand why) the emotional vibrations of some Beethovian interpretations of the Quartetto Italiano.

by “CD MUSICA”, Italy