A classical group possessing passion, dazzling technique and a distinguished sound, the Fugata Quintet pushes the boundaries of chamber music. With an unconventional instrumentation inspired by Astor Piazzolla’s original compositions, its concerts reach audiences with classical arrangements and new works specially composed for the ensemble.
All outstanding musicians in their own right, Živorad Nikolić (accordion), Anastasios Mavroudis (violin), Chris Allard (guitar), Anahit Chaushyan (piano) and Enrique Galassi (double bass) combine their musical personalities to create an enormous range of possibilities for expression.
Formed in 2007 by graduates of the Royal Academy of Music in London, the ensemble has performed at venues throughout the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, the Cheltenham Town Hall, Corn Exchange Newbury, Blackthorpe Barn, The Forge, Kings Place in London, and has made numerous live appearances on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. In Athens they directed a fully staged production of Piazzolla’s and Horacio Ferrer’s operita Maria de Buenos Aires, starring an international cast. In 2010 they released an acclaimed double album of Piazzolla’s music, described as “Piazzolla perfection” by Songlines Magazine.
The Quintet has performed music from Bach through Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla to modern compositions, in the first half of 2013 they premiered Michael Csanyi-Wills’s L’Annunziata suite live on Radio 3, followed by James Opstad’s Semblance later that year. Last season they gave the world premiere of their latest composition, Vache Sharafyan’s Inner Dance at the 36th International Newbury Spring Festival. More recently they released a live album recording of their 2011 Southbank debut: Fugata Quintet Performs Piazzolla Live at Purcell Room.
