The QUARTETTO ITALIANO was founded in Reggio Emilia in 1945 under the name ‘Nuovo Quartetto Italiano’. Its founding members were the violinists Paolo Borciano and Elisa Pegreffi, the violist Lionello Forzanti and the cellist Franco Rossi. In 1947, when Piero Farulli took over as viola player, the ensemble began touring abroad, quickly establishing itself as one of the best ensembles of its kind in the post-war period due to the high quality of its performances. In 1951 it adopted the new name ‘Quartetto Italiano’. Its repertoire included the major quartet compositions, but it is best remembered for its performances of Mozart’s quartets, Beethoven’s late quartets and the quartets of Debussy, Ravel and Webern. In 1978 the violist Dino Ascialia joined the ensemble. The death of Paolo Borciani on 4 July 1985 marked the end of the ‘Quartetto Italiano’.