The Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet (QGQ) is a classical guitar ensemble from São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 1992. The Quartet has become a reference both for its artistic excellence and for its contributions to the expansion of the guitar quartet repertoire. Quaternaglia has developed a canon of original pieces and arrangements with the collaboration of a variety of composers such as Egberto Gismonti, Leo Brouwer, Javier Farías, Sérgio Molina, Almeida Prado, Sergio Assad, João Luiz, Paulo Bellinati and Marco Pereira Quaternaglia’s current members are Sidney Molina, Thiago Abdalla, Fabio Ramazzina and Chrystian Dozza.
History
In 1992, Sidney Molina, Daniel Clementi, Eduardo Fleury and Breno Chaves (who replaced Guilherme de Camargo after 2 concerts) began to experiment with the guitar quartet repertoire and much of their initial work was dedicated to discovering the adequate sound for the formation since, at the time, it still did not have an established set of works and records with which to orient them. As the fruits of this arduous research process began to be performed in concert halls in São Paulo, Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet gained recognition and in 1993 was given a sponsorship by Banco do Estado de São Paulo (Banespa) to perform in various cities in the interior of the state.
In 1994, Clementi was replaced by Fabio Ramazzina and, with him, the group recorded its first album in 1995. Quaternaglia (JHO) includes the first recording of the guitarist Sergio Abreu’s transcription of Bachianas Brasileiras No.1 by Heitor Villa-Lobos and the complete works for guitar quartet by the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. This inaugural album set an example of a high level of artistic production for many other Brazilian classical guitar artists during the last half of the 1990s and was immediately recognized by important musicians in Brazil such as the composer Gilberto Mendes.
In 1996, Quaternaglia made their first appearance abroad at the First International Abel Carlevaro Guitar Festival in Montevideo, Uruguay and in 1998, the group reached international acclaim after receiving the Ensemble Prize at the International Guitar Contest of Havana, Cuba. QGQ has toured the United States fourteen times (1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, twice in 2015, 2018, 2020) performing in important chamber and guitar series such as Guitarists of the World, Allegro Guitar Series, Chamber Music Sedona, Friends of Music, Round Top Festival and New York City Classical Guitar Sociey. The group has also performed in Europe, Latin America and Australia.
The second album, Antique (Comep), with transcriptions of Renaissance and Baroque pieces was one of the finalists of the Classical Music Sharp Prize, the Brazilian equivalent of the Grammy. The group also received the 1997 Carlos Gomes Prize for Best Chamber Ensemble of the Year, awarded by the Culture Department of São Paulo.
In 1999, Breno Chaves was replaced by Paulo Porto Alegre and a year later, the quartet released its third album, entirely dedicated to Brazilian music. Forrobodó (Carmo/ECM), produced by Egberto Gismonti, marked the beginning of Quaternaglia’s direct contact with contemporary Brazilian composers and many of the pieces soon became influential in the world of modern guitar ensembles such as "A Furiosa" by Paulo Bellinati and "Forrobodó" by Egberto Gismonti.
In 2002, Quaternaglia was invited by the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra to perform Concierto Andaluz by Joaquín Rodrigo at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro as part of the celebration of the composer’s centenary.
Also in 2002, Fernando Lima and João Luiz replaced Paulo Porto Alegre and Eduardo Fleury. With this configuration, the quartet toured the United States many times and premiered Journey of the Weary Souls and Quintet for Another Time both by Sergio Molina, commissioned by the International Guitar Festival at Round Top (TX, USA).
The 2004 CD Presença includes the first world recording of Quartet No. 1 by Radamés Gnattali and has pieces dedicated to Quaternaglia by the Brazilian composers Rodrigo Vitta, Paulo Tiné, Douglas Lora and Sergio Molina. Two years later, QGQ recorded their first live DVD at Itaú Cultural Hall in São Paulo.