Massimo Quarta - Movimento Classical

Massimo Quarta

The artist

Massimo Quarta

Winner of the First Prize at the National Violin Competition Città di Vittorio Veneto (1986) and winner of the First Prize at the Violin Competition Opera Prima Philips (1989), in 1991 Massimo Quarta won also the First Prize at the prestigious International Violin Competition N. Paganini in Genova. His concert activity led him to perform for various prestigious concert institutions, playing with the most renowned conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Myun Wun Chung, Christian Thielemann, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Vladimir Yurowsky, John Axelrod, Janjo Mena, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Aldo Ceccato, Vladimir Spivakov, Isaac Karabtvchevsky, Daniel Oren. Among the most important violinists of his generation, he was a guest of major festivals such as Stresa, Naples, Città di Castello, Kuhmo, Bodensee, Kfar Blum, Berliner Festwochen, Sarasota, Ravenna, Lyon, Potsdam, Spoleto, Ljubjana and, invited by Gidon Kremer, the Lockenhaus "Kammermusikfest". Born in 1965, Quarta began studying violin at the age of eleven at the T. Schipa Conservatory in Lecce, then he continued his studies with Beatrice Antonioni at the S. Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. He later perfected his technique with Salvatore Accardo, Ruggero Ricci, Pavel Vernikov and Abram Shtern. Despite his intense solo activity, for more than twenty-five years he has worked also as conductor, conducting orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Netherland Symphony Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI), the Symphony Orchestra of Sŏnderborg (Denmark), the National Symphony Orchestra of Buenos Aires, the Orchestra of Teatro Carlo Felice of Genova, I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, the Orchestra of Padova and Veneto, the Philharmonic and Symphonic A. Toscanini, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano.
He made his debut at the Musikverein in Vienna as a soloist and conductor with the Vienna Philharmonia, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam conducting the Netherland Symphony Orchestra and he recorded as conductor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra the Mozart’s Concertos for two and three pianos. He held the position of soloist and principal conductor of the Orchestra of the Abruzzese symphonic institution and was artistic Musical Director of the Orchestra of the I.C.O. Tito Schipa Foundation of Lecce. He is currently Music Director of the UNAM Philharmonic Orchestra (OFUNAM) in Mexico City. Massimo Quarta was awarded the Foyer Des Artistes International Award and the Gino Tani International Award for the Performing Arts. He recorded for Philips, le Quattro Stagioni by A. Vivaldi with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra for Delos , the 24 Capricci by Paganini for the English label company Chandos, a CD with music by N. Paganini for Dynamic, and, again by Paganini, the “Integrale of the 6 Concertos for violin and orchestra” in autograph version as violinist and conductor, Integrale considered "real milestone for all fans of the violin" (Il Giornale della Musica). Also for Dynamic were published the Concerti n. 4 and 5 by H. Vieuxtemps, with Massimo in the role of soloist and conductor with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano,
He obtained wide acclaim from the international press ( CHOC Award of "Le Monde de la Musique"), for revolutionary aspect given to the reinterpretation of the Paganinian repertoire that has conquered the public, assigning him a place of honor among the most famous violinists (The Strad) and calling it "the personification of elegance" (American Record Guide). Among his upcoming recording projects is the recording of “Romanze op. 40 and op. 50” by Beethoven for violin and orchestra, for Warner Classics.
For Warner Classics, he has recently recorded the “6 Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin” by J. S. Bach.
Quarta is an Academic of Santa Cecilia and teaches at the Conservatory of the Italian Switzerland in Lugano (Musikhochschule).
He plays a violin G. A. Rocca of 1840.