“Hamburg. Are they a reincarnation of the Beatles? Four musicians, four young guys with a ‘naughty boy’ image and all the self-confidence of those famous four ‘mop tops’ , step out on stage, begin to play and set the place alight. There are young girls in the audience – a big screen as if for a pop group (…)
A mix of masculinity and sensitivity characterizes the music of the four. Playing mostly without sheet music they are freely visible, standing in a curved formation. Who is looking at whom and who steps forward as the leading voice is completely instinctive and spontaneous, in line with the musical logic. Their stupendous perfection becomes almost a given (….)”

Hamburger Abendblatt (Verena Fischer-Zernin)

We have always been everything—except ordinary. As four saxophonists who had known each other since our youth, we constantly reinvented ourselves. Our passion for the classical string quartet sound blended seamlessly with our enthusiasm for the rock classics of our time. Over the years, our unique charisma became the finishing touch to our virtuoso skills.

From the very first moment of our performances, we ignited musical fireworks filled with emotion. Our insatiable curiosity led us to explore the boundaries between musical styles, always searching for the perfect ensemble sound. Whether we played original compositions for saxophone quartet, arrangements of orchestral works, baroque music, or rock songs—our love for music knew no limits. Words could hardly capture the joy we found in playing together; it was something that had to be experienced live.

After winning several international competitions, we made our Carnegie Hall debut in 2013, a defining moment in our journey. The following year, as “Rising Stars” of the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) 2014/15, we stepped onto some of the world’s most prestigious stages—places we would soon call home.

“From the opening phrases.., it was apparent that here was something very special, if not unique. This acclaimed group brought to bear a seemingly endless variety of tonal colour and effects. The sense of balance, clarity and tone was exemplary.”

For LIMELIGHT by Brett Allen-Bayes

Through our concerts, both as a quartet and in collaboration with other musicians, we remained in the spotlight. A particularly special project was our collaboration with violinist Daniel Hope, where we appeared together on the arte tv format “Hope@Home” and performed on stage multiple times.
Each season brought new exciting projects. We performed Christian Jost’s “Sea of Ice” with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, William Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso with the Warsaw Philharmonic, and a Piazzolla Suite with orchestras in Izmir and Istanbul.

One of our upcoming season highlights will be a major tour of Australia with singer Ali McGregor, where we will explore the music of the 1920s and 40s—from Berlin to Broadway. As the season comes to a close, we will return to Korea, performing once again at the Seoul Art Centre.

A special project close to their heart is the family concert program “SIGNUM4kids”, with which the SIGNUM saxophone quartet is explicitly directed at young music lovers and the audience of tomorrow.

Over the years, we released several albums, including “Starry Night feat. Alexej Gerassimez, percussion” (Berlin Classics, 2021) and “Echoes” (Deutsche Grammophon, 2021). In 2024, we presented our latest recording, “Chameleon” (Berlin Classics, 2004).

Our journey had been an extraordinary one, and we couldn’t wait to see where music would take us next.

Michal Knot

soprano saxophone

Jacopo Taddei

alto saxophone

Alan Luzar

tenor saxophone

Edoardo Zotti

baritone saxophone

“The art of these glorious Four is not only evident in their perfect interplay of symphonic spirit; each of them as an individual is also a Master of the most refined and sophisticated sound. This version of Antonín Dvorak’s famous string quartet op. 96, arranged by the quartet itself, would have done any top quartet credit. Rhythmically electrifying, with the dynamics spanning from an always rounded fortissimo to the most delicate pianissimo – someone cannot simply play this music
more beautifully and livelier. (…) And the version of George Gershwin’s three preludes for saxophone quartet perfectly reflected the distinctive treats of these spectacular musicians at every moment: virtuosity, gravitas, endless listening to each other in the spirit of each other music.”

Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2021