QUARTETTO D’ARCHI DELLA SCALA

The original formation of the Quartetto d'archi della Scala (La Scala String Quartet) is historic and dates back to 1953, when the principal players of the Orchestra felt the need to develop an important chamber music project, following the example set by the world’s leading orchestras. Over the decades, the La Scala String Quartet has been featured in major musical events and recordings. After a few years of inactivity, in 2001 four young musicians — already winners of international solo competitions and principal players of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra — decided to revive this prestigious ensemble. Building on the musical affinity they had already developed within the Orchestra, they brought it to its highest chamber music expression: the string quartet.

The quartet has performed extensively for some of the most prestigious concert societies and festivals in Italy, including MusicaInsieme in Bologna, Serate Musicali, Società dei Concerti and the “Cantelli” Season in Milan, Associazione Scarlatti in Naples, Sagra Malatestiana in Rimini, Festival delle Nazioni in Città di Castello, Settimane Musicali di Stresa, Asolo Musica, Estate Musicale in Portogruaro, Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Malibran in Venice, Ravenna Festival, Amici della Musica in Palermo, Teatro Bellini in Catania, the Teatro alla Scala concert season, Teatro Sociale in Como, and many others. Internationally, they have appeared in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Japan, the United States, Croatia, Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Greece, and elsewhere.

The quartet has collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Martha Argerich, Bruno Canino, Jeffrey Swann, Angela Hewitt, Paolo Restani, Michele Campanella, Emmanuel Pahud, Enrico Dindo, tenor José Carreras, and soprano Marina Rebeka.

They have premiered works by several contemporary composers, including Carlo Boccadoro, Nicola Campogrande, Luca Francesconi, Massimo Di Gesu, Betta, and Vlad.

In 2008, the quartet made its debut at the prestigious Mozarteum in Salzburg and, in the same year, received the “Città di Como” Award for artistic achievement.

Following their South American tour in 2012, they were awarded the Critics’ Prize as Best Foreign Chamber Ensemble.

Their recordings include releases for the labels DAD, Fonè, and Decca, as well as recordings for the music magazine Amadeus, for the newspaper La Provincia of Cremona — during which they performed on the precious instruments of the Museo del Violino collection — and for Italy’s Radio 3.

In 2011, their recording of the Brahms and Schumann Piano Quintets for Decca received a prestigious 5-star review from Amadeus magazine.

Particularly acclaimed was their complete cycle of Beethoven string quartets, performed for the Teatro alla Scala chamber music season and at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, and scheduled again for the 2026–27 season in Milan and Turin as part of the MITO Festival.

Members:
Francesco Manara - Violin
Daniele Pascoletti - Violin
Simonide Braconi - Viola
Massimo Polidori - Cello

Season 2025/2026

"The Scala String Quartet, composed of Manara, Negri, Braconi and Polidori, stands out for its technical and musical excellence."
Riccardo Muti

"The Quartet ensures beauty of sound while its performance of the cantabile parts proves that it is very familiar with opera music, making listening a joy and pleasure indeed."
Riccardo Muti

"A string quartet with sharp technical and musical weapons, formed by the principal players of La Scala in Milan..."
Corriere del Mezzogiorno

"The Quartetto della Scala stood out for its open cantabilità and formal vigour… this ensemble, made up of principal players from the Milanese theatre, ranks among our finest string quartets."
Il Gazzettino

"One immediately perceived the crystal-clear purity of the sound, even in the most virtuosic moments… the interpretative level is excellent, both for the perfect synchrony of the ‘quartet machine’ and for its wise, intense, yet balanced expressiveness..."
La Nuova Venezia

"Quartetto d’Archi della Scala, one of the most extraordinary quartets of recent decades. An ensemble that recalls a prestigious historical-musical path dating back to the 1950s, now revived thanks to the outstanding talent of the four principal players of an orchestra, that of La Scala in Milan, which has nothing to envy from other renowned foreign orchestras.”
Il Giornale di Vicenza

"The beauty of sound and the acute perception of the most subtle and elusive musical voices in the players of the Quartetto d’Archi della Scala were immediately apparent."
Il Tempo