Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, studs. Alessandro Quarta, a violinist and composer from Salento who moves effortlessly between classical music, rock, blues and pop, carries a true rock-star image on stage, going so far as to describe himself as a classically trained violinist who is “black inside.” But there is one moment when even that appearance takes a back seat: when he has to play a Stradivari. In that case, he says, he takes off his necklaces, bracelets and jewelry.

It is one of the most intriguing anecdotes in the interview Massimo Sideri conducted for the Corriere della Sera, focusing on Quarta’s career and personal story. “It has an indescribable power: 300 years resonating through your body. Scratching it would be a damnation,” the violinist said, describing the emotion of holding one of the historic instruments of Cremona’s violin-making tradition.

The story also perfectly captures the relationship Quarta has built with Cremona in recent years. He took part in the Stradivari Festival for three consecutive editions, from 2022 to 2024, following an invitation from Roberto Codazzi, the Museo del Violino’s artistic and musical director. In 2024, he also presented The Five Elements in Cremona, his work for string quintet and piano.

On November 3 of that year, at the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium, Quarta performed with pianist Giuseppe Magagnino and the Solisti Filarmonici Italiani, alternating between his own Svetozar Bogdanoski and a Stradivari. Writing for CremonaSera, Angela Alessi described the evening, highlighting how, behind the rock-star image, there was above all a composer capable of blending different musical languages and influences. The Cremona audience responded with a prolonged standing ovation.

“Those magnificent violins remain in the museum waiting to be played once a year,” Quarta recalled in his interview with the Corriere. “Playing them is like being able to step inside a Michelangelo.”

The statement takes on particular significance coming from an artist who has built his career precisely on musical crossover. Quarta has performed with conductors such as Lorin Maazel and pianists such as Ramin Bahrami, but also with Santana, Mark Knopfler and Dee Dee Bridgewater. He has also collaborated for years with Roberto Bolle, for whom he composed Dorian Gray and other works for dance.

His playing is rooted in classical training but also in his love of the great blues artists, from B.B. King to Buddy Guy. “My sound is also the child of listening to the great blues musicians,” he explained, describing “raw sounds, but also a kind of pure distortion.” It is an approach that has led him to reject the idea of classical, rock, blues and pop as separate worlds.

His artistic life has also been marked by extremely difficult moments. Last May, he was hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital due to serious complications related to fistulas and, according to his account, doctors had given him between seven and ten days to live. Just a few weeks later, he was back on stage. “From an intensive care unit to the stage, with an incredible will to live,” he recalled, describing the experience as a “second life” alongside his partner and manager, Mariarita Napoli.

Quarta, in short, continues to experience music without boundaries. But in Cremona, there seems to be one rule that takes precedence over all the others: when faced with an instrument carrying three centuries of history, even the rock violinist turns down the volume. And, above all, takes off his jewelry.