Quartetto Italiano

Quartetto Italiano
Quartetto Italiano (1955)
Background information
Origin	Reggio Emilia, Italy
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	String Quartet
Years active	1945–1980
Labels	Decca, Philips, Deutsche Grammophon
Past members	Paolo Borciani, 1st violin (founder & leader) Elisa Pegreffi, 2nd violin Piero Farulli, viola (1947-1977) Franco Rossi, cello Lionello Forzanti, viola (1945-1947) Dino Asciolla, viola (1977-1980)

The Quartetto Italiano (English: Italian Quartet) was a string quartet founded in Reggio Emilia in 1945. They made their debut in 1945 in Carpi when all four players were still in their early 20's. They were originally named Nuovo Quartetto Italiano before dropping the "Nuovo" tag in 1951. They are particularly noted for their recording of the complete cycle of Beethoven string quartets, made between 1967 and 1975. The quartet disbanded in 1980.

The secretary and historian of the Quartet was Guido Alberto Borciani (Reggio Emilia, 20 October 1920 – 4 April 2008), mechanical engineer and talented pianist, Paolo's brother and founder in 1987 of the Premio Paolo Borciani.

Borciani, Pegreffi and Rossi met in 1940 at the Concorso Nazionale in La Spezia. In summer 1942 they met again at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, where the cellist (head of the chamber class, husband of Pina Carmirelli) put them together with the viola player Lionello Forzanti for the study session. They worked together on the Debussy quartet and performed it in September 1942.

In August 1945 the group began to study together again at the Borciani house in Reggio Emilia. Their debut followed on 12 November 1945 at the Sala dei Mori in Carpi, as the Nuovo Quartetto Italiano, in the inaugural concert of the Società degli Amici della Musica. By the end of the year they had also performed in Reggio Emilia and in Milan. In March 1946 they were winners at the Concorso of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and also in the Concorso of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. A performance for the Milan Quartet Society followed, and the first foreign engagement was at the Zürich Tonhalle.