Quartetto Gelato

Sunday, August 27, 2006

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.

As to the Quartetto Gelato style, imagine going to a restaurant and hearing a sort of small "palm court" orchestra, playing pop songs, tangos and shorter classical selections. Now imagine that the group is composed of a spirited violinist with a sensitive tenor voice and a persistent sense of humor (Peter De Soto), a superb cellist (Elinor Frey), a fine clarinetist (Shalom Bard), and perhaps the best accordion player you'll ever hear (Alexander Sevastian.) Finally, imagine that there is no overpriced wine before you, and no distracting clatter of silverware or dishes.

That is Quartetto Gelato.

The Skaneateles High School Auditorium stood in for Brook Farm, but the loss in atmosphere yielded a gain in sound quality.

Beginning with Salerno's "Tango del Mare," the group was passionate in approach, flexible in performance, and nicely in sync with one another. De Soto's tenor was heard for the first time in the Velazquez song "Besame Mucho," and his arrangement of the traditional "Hungaria" was a hyper-animated delight, with musicians trading licks and trying to outdo one another in velocity. The evocative Gannon/Giraud song "Under Paris Skies" was like being whisked off to a sidewalk cafe on the Left Bank.

They all laughed when Alexander Sevastian began the well-known Toccata in D minor on his accordion, but once the man launched into his amazingly dexterous version of the Bach masterwork, the laughter was replaced by awe.

Another classical piece fared nearly as well, as the finale "gypsy" movement of the Brahms' Piano Quartet Op. 24 was given the Gelatto treatment and communicated just as fully in transcription as in the original piano and string version.

After intermission, things lightened considerably, with a Cuban jazz piece, a modern tango, and the traditional tune "Danny Boy," all sounding forth effectively. The major classical piece in this half was the final section of Carl Maria Von Weber's Konzertstuck, Op. 79 arranged by De Sotto and Sevastian. Here, the accordionist's flying fingers were little short of miraculous.

An encore of Romanian tunes brought this parade of musical confections to a spirited end. - By Chuck Klaus/ Contributing writer The Post-Standard (Syracuse NY)

January 23, 2005

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.

We board in London to the sound of the “Slow Train” from the British songwriting team of Flanders and Swann, sung by Peter DeSotto. From England the boat-train crosses the channel to Paris represented by two of the most famous cabaret songs, “Under Paris Skies” and the Edith Piaf standard “La Vie en Rose.”

I was apprehensive as to how >Alexander Sevastian’s accordion would fit into the delicate fabric of Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin, but the tasteful arrangement with violin, cello and oboe kept the work perfectly in character.

A text of French nonsense words sung by DeSotto provided an added attraction.

A stop in Munich brought music of Brahms and Weber, but in versions designed specifically for this ensemble. Arrangements of favorite concert works of the 19th century were as varied as they were numerous, but I can’t ever recall hearing a piano concerto arranged for accordion.

However, Sevastian makes it sound perfectly believable, and the accordion accentuates the gypsy character of the Rondo from Brahms’ Piano Quartet Op. 25.

Vienna brought cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper to the forefront with a cello arrangement of Fritz Kreisler’s virtuosic “Tambourin Chinois” (Chinese drum). The work is difficult enough on the violin for which it was written, but Cooper tossed it out as easily as though it were a simple folk tune.

“Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” (My Heart is Your Alone) is perhaps the most recognizable piece of Viennese operetta, taken from Franz Lehar’s the Land of Smiles. The multi-talented DeSotto, primarily a violinist, gave a creditable rendition of the favorite operatic tenor encore.

The city of Budapest became the comic setup for a piece of musical one-upsmanship from DeSotto, Sevastian and oboist Cynthia Steljes during a Hungarian rhapsody.

Taking an unexpected but welcome detour to Ireland, the concert ended with an encore of “Danny Boy” given to this demonstrably appreciative audience at the Simms Theater for the Performing Arts.

The ensemble performs today at 3 p.m. but with a different program “Neapolitan Evening” features music associated with the city of Naples. - By D.S. Crafts/Sunday Journal (Albuquerque, NM)

Wednesday June 23, 2004

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. Gelato members Cynthia Steljes, Peter De Sotto, Kristina ReikoCooper and Alexander Sevastian are excited about their latest CD, "Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express" and hope you'll join them on this intoxicating musical journey. The CD, on the Linus label, became an instant best-seller after its release in Canada on March 9. This disc of nostalgic favorites that evoke the essence of great European capitals from London to Istanbul arrives stateside on Tuesday.

Explaining the quartet's name - Cream Quartet - co-founder/oboist Steljes says it reflects the Toronto-based ensemble's musical range. "'Quartetto' evokes the classical discipline of what we do, and 'Gelato' evokes all the different flavors of our music and the fun that we have," she says.So just as the new disc is a figurative European excursion, it's also a trip over, under, around and through a wide variety of musical genres. "Orient Express" takes us through Paris, for example, with arrangements of Ravel's piano classic "Tombeau de Couperin" and Edith Piaf's quintessentially French "La Vie en Rose." There's even a track listed as a "bonus" since it didn't really fit into the album's concept: "Danny Boy."

"It's like we completely derailed," Steljes jokes. Explaining their musical diversity, she adds, "Our basis is classical, and then we branch out. We do the gypsy music, the tangos, different folk songs and operatic stuff." And she's not talking about instrumental transcriptions of opera arias. Steljes' husband and fellow Gelato co-founder is De Sotto, who doubles as the group's violinist - and disarmingly sweet-voiced tenor. He can be heard on the Piaf and "Danny Boy," among other tracks.

"It's unusual to have a chamber ensemble with a singer, especially a singer of Peter's calibre," says the obviously proud Steljes. "In Bach's world it would be completely normal. But in today's classical world, that sets us apart." So, she adds, does their accordion, played by a Gelato newcomer, the 27-year-old Sevastian, from Belarus. "He's extraordinary," says Steljes. "He's our baby. His musical presence is so assured, and at other times he's such a kid." (Steljes declined to give her age for this story, but said the group's median age is mid-30s.)

The fourth member, New York-based cellist Cooper, is also a recent Gelato addition, one who evidently fits right in with Steljes and De Sotto's concept of serious fun. Certainly she's a trouper. When it came time to shoot the "Orient Express" album cover, which shows the four strolling along train tracks in the woods, Cooper was given the hardest job.

"Kristina gets special mention because walking on the rail in bare feet was very challenging. There are lots of pictures of her falling!" The group got its start in an unconventional way: playing at the little restaurant where Steljes and De Sotto used to go for Sunday brunch. "The owners are real characters," Steljes says. "One day they said, 'If you're musicians, you must come and play.' "

They started performing short, after-dinner concerts, literally playing for food. Ten years later, the rest is, as they say, history.

Steljes is proud that despite their obvious "crossover" appeal, Gelato is presented around the world on the same kinds of series that present highbrow groups like the Tokyo and Emerson string quartets. Indeed, Steljes thinks that Gelato's unique mix of repertoire makes the group truly unclassifiable.

"Classical crossover doesn't really mean anything except that you're not completely classical," she says. "When we do our orchestral shows, they're always pops programs. But in our recitals, and even some orchestral shows, some of the music we're playing is quite serious."

Still, there's something about their sunny sound (I think it's that accordion) that's guaranteed to make even the most determined-to-be-elitist listener smile - and listen again and again.

Bon voyage!

- By T.J. Medrek/ Boston Herald

February 15, 2004

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.

Oboist Cynthia Steljes got a great workout with Antonio Pasculli's "Concerto Sopra motivi dall'Opera," a piece written with her instrument in mind. She said the oboe was often referred to as the "crybaby" of the orchestra, which often meant its player wouldn't be fun at parties. Pasculli, however, decided to show just how versatile an oboeist could be. Steljes did him proud with rapid, echo-like flutters that drew upon something she called "circular breathing." You had to be there to appreciate it.

Cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper got a similar showcase with the world premiere of a Patrick Zimmerli piece that demonstrated her versatility. And, accordionist Alexander Sevastian was able to duplicate a variety of sounds -- chief among them, bagpipes -- on "Clown of Venice" while violinist Peter DeSotto got to sing on several numbers, including that Pavarotti favorite, "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot."

His voice was great -- when it wasn't overwhelmed by the orchestra -- and just the ticket for "O Sole Mio," the show's closer. With him on board, the audience could almost imagine floating down a canal in Venice. He had fun, too, with "Czardas," a familiar hand-clapper that gave him ample opportunity to mug with his violin. He played the audience like a -- sorry -- fiddle and got a warm response.

The orchestra had a good time as well, supporting the Toronto-based quartet in high style. While "Czardas" got away from them at one point, the local musicians hosted their guests quite well. Cutting their "greatest hits" numbers wouldn't have hurt the evening in the least. While it was nice to hear a clean "Romeo and Juliet," it was more than the concert needed.

When the Quartetto left the stage on a couple of occasions, they were missed -- a tribute to their ability to engage the audience. Steljes did a great job with commentary, too, alerting the audience to the thrills that she and her partners were able to pull off.

Putting an accordion, an oboe, a cello and a violin together doesn't seem like a good idea, but it worked well Saturday night. It set the Italian love stage pretty well and may have sent more than one music fan rushing for the CD table.

With this symphony concert, there was no need to act before midnight. The musicians did that for us. - By Bruce R. Miller/ Journal staff writer (Sioux City, IA)

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. - The Washington Post

Light programming, like comedy, is serious business. Quartetto Gelato has the stuff. Dry humor and occasional clowning are part of the quartet’s arsenal, yet first it meets the requisite virtues of skilled music-making. Its pleasure-giving is consistent.

- Los Angeles Times

Quartetto Gelato delivered joyful, polished performances of classical and traditional music, proving once again that there's no such thing as highbrow and lowbrow music.... One label that will stick to Quartetto Gelato is "successful."

- The National Post (Canada)

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.
- The Washington Post