Rastrelli Cello Quartet

Rastrelli Cello Quartet, is a unique classical ensemble whose aim is to prove that it is possible to play any kind of music on the cello – from baroque to rock–as the lines between musical styles become more blurred in modern music. The ensemble’s repertoire consists entirely of transcriptions of music not intended to be performed on the cello. Why “Rastrelli”? The three cellists were born in St. Petersburg (Russia), where they spent their childhood and student years; taking the name of the genius Italian architect who was invited to build the new capital of Russia by the King some 300 years ago is a way of saluting their childhood roots. Kira Kraftzoff, Kirill Timofeev, Misha Degtjareff and Sergio Drabkine established the quartet in April,2002 in Stuttgart, Germany and shortly thereafter recorded two pieces – “The Melody” by Sokolov and “Rhapsody-Tango” on the theme of Oscar Strock. After a number of concerts the quartet was invited by the company Ars-Verona to record an album by Amphion Records. Their latest recordings are: “Cello in Jazz” and “Cello in Classic.”