“Four saxophonists
“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)
The four musicians Blaž Kemperle, Jacopo Taddei, Alan Lužar and Guerino Bellarosa met in Cologne where they founded the SIGNUM saxophone quartet in 2006. The saxophonists have studied in Cologne, Vienna and Paris; they have been influenced and inspired by the Quatuor Ébène, Artemis Quartet and Gabor Takács-Nágy.
Award winners at international competitions including Lugano and Berlin, SIGNUM nowadays play in concert halls and at festivals all over Europe. In 2013 they made their debut in the Carnegie Hall NY. A very special and remarkable achievement was the award Rising Stars 2014/2015 given by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), which took SIGNUM to such prestigious concert halls as the Barbican Centre London, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Gulbenkian Lisbon, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Philharmonie Cologne, amongst others. Recently SIGNUM was awarded “Best Ensemble” by prestigious German Festival Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern.
“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
SIGNUM are constantly searching for new ideas, ground breaking challenges and intriguing artistic encounters. Their sheer joy and experimental versatility are reflected in their extraordinary programs; the four young musicians are also to be heard in classical quartet formations and they continue to create exciting, never before seen joint arrangements with inspiring soundscapes.
SIGNUM loves performing with exciting chamber music partners and friends, among them: Alexej Gerassimez (percussion): Starry Night; Tanja Tetzlaff and Konstantin Manaev (cello): BACHianas; Kai Schumacher (piano & prepared piano): Goldberg Nights; and Ksenija Sidorova (accordion) in a brand new project: Anima. Following the performance at Hope@Home (Arte TV, 2020), in 2023 they will happily be on stage with Daniel Hope again. The quartet regularly performs with orchestra, which is a high priority for them. The SIGNUMs also care deeply about the audience of tomorrow, and so they have devised their own educational family concert SIGNUM4kids. In November 2022, SIGNUM is particularly looking forward to their first 1-month tour in Australia.
Following their first two albums, Debut (2011) and Balkanication (2014), in 2021 SIGNUM presents two new recordings: Starry Night (with Alexej Gerassimez) on Berlin Classics and their first Deutsche Grammophon’s album ECHOES featuring inventive arrangements by composers from Dowland, Faurè and Albinoni to Peter Gregson, as well as Guillermo Lago’s ‘Sarajevo’, original for saxophone quartet and including also standout tracks by Max Richter and Joep Beving. The launch has been marked by a concert on DG Stage streamed from the Berlin Meistersaal.
SIGNUM is a Selmer Paris and D’Addario Woodwinds Artist.
“Four saxophonists
who rock the house”
“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)
The four musicians Blaž Kemperle, Jacopo Taddei, Alan Lužar and Guerino Bellarosa met in Cologne where they founded the SIGNUM saxophone quartet in 2006. The saxophonists have studied in Cologne, Vienna and Paris; they have been influenced and inspired by the Quatuor Ébène, Artemis Quartet and Gabor Takács-Nágy.
Award winners at international competitions including Lugano and Berlin, SIGNUM nowadays play in concert halls and at festivals all over Europe. In 2013 they made their debut in the Carnegie Hall NY. A very special and remarkable achievement was the award Rising Stars 2014/2015 given by the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), which took SIGNUM to such prestigious concert halls as the Barbican Centre London, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Gulbenkian Lisbon, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Philharmonie Cologne, amongst others. Recently SIGNUM was awarded “Best Ensemble” by prestigious German Festival Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern.
“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