As one of Europe’s leading saxophone quartets, the Ferio Saxophone Quartet consistently receives a highly enthusiastic reception from audiences and critics alike.
Their four recordings for Chandos Records have all been met with great acclaim in the press and demonstrate the broad range and flexibility of their instruments, repertoire and collaborations. ‘Flux’ (2017), a programme of original works for saxophone quartet, traces the saxophone’s history from the time of its invention to the present day. ‘Revive’ (2018) is a set of magnificent Baroque transcriptions, and was launched at ‘Rhinegold Live’, hosted by Classical Music Magazine. ‘Evoke’ (2021), with pianist Timothy End, features premiere recordings of three brand new arrangements by Iain Farrington for saxophone quartet and piano: his own Animal Parade, Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite and Bizet’s Carmen Suite. ‘Revoiced’ (2022), in collaboration with vocal ensemble Corvus Consort, explores the magical blend of saxophones and voices, bringing new colours to music from the Baroque and Renaissance, recasting contemporary choral works into a fresh soundworld, and inspiring the creation of new music.
Accolades and awards have included The Philharmonia/Martin Musical Ensemble Award, the Royal Over-Seas League’s Ensemble Competition prize and selection by both the Tunnell Trust and Park Lane Group.
Concert engagements have taken the ensemble to the leading UK concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and St John’s Smith Square, as well as on tour to New Zealand, France and Bermuda. Festival appearances have included Ryedale, Three Choirs, Newbury, Henley, Chiltern Arts, Stour Music and Festival Septembre Musical de l’Orne in Normandy, and they can frequently be heard on BBC Radio 3 and other national and international broadcasters.
In parallel with their concert performances, Ferio enjoy education work in primary and secondary schools, as well as delivering masterclasses with more advanced students at Conservatoire level, most recently at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Developing the saxophone quartet repertoire is also an important strand of Ferio’s work, and they have commissioned pieces by Laura Bowler, Simon Rowland-Jones and Guillermo Lago.
The Quartet was formed at the Royal College of Music in 2012, and has since developed an extraordinary breadth of repertoire, exemplified in the great variety of music they have recorded to date. Their prolific versatility allows them to delight audiences up and down the country by drawing from an unusually wide range of musical styles and periods in their highly-engaging concert programmes.
