63, Cambridge Street • London • SW1V 4PS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7976 5041 • email: info@tashmina.co.uk
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet
Michael Baker, Vasilis Bessas, James Jervis, Rory Russell
"If one guitar quartet can give a traditional string quartet a run for its money in terms of abundant technique and breathtaking artistry, it is the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet." International Record Review
One of Britain’s leading chamber music groups, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet is a dynamic and innovative ensemble that captivates audiences with eclectic repertoire and spell-binding performances.
Described as the “next big thing making its arrival in the classical guitar world”, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet has performed extensively in major venues including the Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Bridgewater Hall. Their engagements have taken them throughout Europe, most recently visiting Germany, Spain, Denmark, Greece and Ireland. The quartet has performed as part of the Last Night of the Proms and has given live broadcasts on Radio 3, Classic FM, Lyric FM and ERA 3 (Greece). In 2007 they became the only guitar quartet to have ever performed in the finals of the Royal Overseas League and Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) Competitions.
The AGQ is dedicated to presenting music from around the globe and which spans the period from the renaissance right through to the present day. Many established international composers, including Carlos Rafael Rivera (U.S.A), Phillip Houghton 
(Australia) and Stephen Dodgson (U.K), have invited the quartet to perform their compositions, and the group’s recent commission “Danças Nativas”, by the Brazilian composer Clarice Assad, was nominated for a Latin Grammy® award for best classical composition in 2009. A further source of material for the AGQ’s constantly expanding repertoire is their own arrangements of music from various genres, including works by Gismonti, Mussorgsky, Rossini, and film music composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The group is also committed to continuing their involvement in outreach and educational projects, and is regularly invited to give masterclasses. In addition to their recital and educational work, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet frequently appears with orchestras, and is responsible for the re-emergence of two great concertos, Rodrigo’s Concierto Andaluz and Torroba’s Concierto Iberico for four guitars.
Formed originally at the Royal Northern College of Music (in 1999), under the guidance of Craig Ogden and Gordon Crosskey, the quartet went on to study with renowned guitarists such as Sérgio Assad, Oscar Ghilia and Scott Tennant. The quartet’s ground breaking work in developing the guitar quartet medium subsequently earned them awards from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, Tillett Trust and Tunnell Trust. They were also selected for Live Music Now, for whom they gave concerts for a number of years.
In 2009 the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet was signed exclusively to Chandos Records and has since recorded 2 albums, “Dances” (released in June 2010) and “Spirit of Brazil” (March 2009). Both releases have received critical acclaim from the press. BBC Music Magazine awarded “Spirit of Brazil” five stars for both performance and recording, commenting:
“With outstanding playing and infectious spirit, this is no mere niche guitar CD, but a luscious and lively general-appeal winner.”
The Aquarelle’s more recent release “Dances” has received excellent reviews from both Gramophone and International Record Review, the latter concluding:
“After a first hearing, I felt as if I had musically travelled all over the world and was more than ready to get back on the plane for another round-trip”
Their original debut CD Promenade was released in May 2005 and Watersmeet, a collaborative CD of Stephen Dodgson’s guitar music was released on the Cadenza label in March 2006.