Quartetto Gelato provides plenty of surprises

Saturday’s Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Concert was a lot like watching a great old movie on late night television: Occasionally, a “greatest classical hits” CD commercial turns up. While “Romeo and Juliet,” “Dreams of Love” and “Turandot” may have fit the evening’s “romance” theme, they detracted from the discoveries offered up by Quartetto Gelato, the guest artists.

The group provided plenty of surprises, including a touching medley of songs from such Italian films as “Cinema Paradiso,” “Amarcord” and “Il Postino.” The selections, though, were just the start to their night of fun.

“Whenever Peter De Sotto (tenor, violin, mandolin) released his natural, Italianate tenor- usually in Sicilian and Neapolitan folk Songs – I found tears springing to my eyes. It hardly seems fair that he’s also a violin wiz who tossed off a gypsy number at dizzying speed.”

Quartetto Gelato offers creamy delights

Take a musical tour on “Orient Express” with the group’s winning CD. The anxieties of travel, especially in these post-9/11 years, are many. You may have become understandably wary about visiting exotic, far-off places or even – between gas prices and the Democratic National Convention – getting to work this summer. Well, the four musicians of Quartetto Gelato have just the ticket for you.

Quartetto Gelato takes audience on Journey

Back in the days when trains had nicknames, the Orient Express was probably the most legendary, traveling from London to Istanbul. The name conjures up exotic images of romance, adventure, and if one is an Agatha Christie fan, mystery. Friday night, the Orient Express was the theme of an inventive concert presented by the four young musicians of Quartetto Gelato and hosted by Chamber Music Albuquerque.

Frequent performers on National Public Radio, the Toronto-based group is touring with this program that will shortly become a CD, “Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express.” The group has cleverly put together an unusual mix of classical, salon and folk music full of the color and national character of the major capitals of Europe through which the train traversed. With its amiable presentation and comic banter, Quartetto Gelato does much to remove the snobbery that unjustly, inaccurately and unfortunately often feeds on classical music. These are first-rate musicians all, with a heartfelt desire to engage the audience with showmanship in the best sense of the word.

Quartetto Gelato delightful

The latest concert of the Skaneateles Festival bore the title “The Best of Quartetto Gelato.”

But after hearing this group of four Canadian instrumentalists, one gets the distinct impression that whatever they play is their best. Even the lightest fare in this frothy concert put forth by the Skaneateles Festival was superbly well played.

Buy at least 3 copies of Q.G. Travels the Orient Express: one for you, one for someone you like a lot, one in reserve, for a spur of the moment gift.

5 out of 5 stars

Quartetto Gelato does it again, proving that they are indeed the “Cirque du Soleil” of classical music – always fresh, full of surprises, constantly re-inventing.

Larger audiences are inevitable not only because the quartet’s members are fine musicians but also because they have learned to mix entertainment and music.

Equal parts of musicianship, showmanship and what might be called “laughmanship” marked the lively quartet’s witty, wide-ranging program.

Quartetto Gelato’s performances have a warm, endearing vitality….

If there were ever a group of musicians that could make anyone feel at home with classical music, Quartetto Gelato is it.

Charm, musical beauty, subtlety, wit and sophistication combine to make this classical cabaret CD a winner.