Bordeaux - 15 maggio 1956
"It is not possible to do better, to play better, to be so brilliant, so clear, so sensitive, so virtuosic and in absolute respect of the spirit of the work. My great admiration for this admirable first violin, a virtuoso of the first order and a fervent animator of the whole ensemble. 
M. R.
                              

Aix-en Provence, Le Meridional - 22 luglio 1956
"...In the Four Seasons, what we applauded was the exceptional mastery of the first violin, who superbly led the dozen virtuosos of the ensemble...". 

​

 

Johannesburg, Die Transvaler - September 29, 1956
"...The next soloist was the young violinist Felix Ayo, in the concerto for violin, strings and harpsichord by Vivaldi. The balance was beautiful, and Felix Ayo displayed astonishing technique. His musical acumen is of unsurpassed excellence."  
- J. v. d. M                                      

 

 

Milano, La notte - 14 febbraio 1957  
"...The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi ...perfect soloist the violinist Felix Ayo".

Barcelona, El Correo Catalán - November 27, 1957 
"... Among the soloists - all of them magnificent - we are very pleased to highlight the violinist from Bilbao Felix Ayo in whom, once again, we have admired his great class, his great temperament, his total mastery of the instrument."
- Oriol Martorell 

 

 

Montpellier, Midi Libre - November 11, 1958   
"...Although the praise here is for the whole group of twelve, we would be ungrateful if we did not underline the part played by the first violin, Félix Ayo, a playmaker with the virtues of a virtuoso soloist..."  

- Alice Jervais                                        

 

 

Lille, La Voix du Nord - November 18, 1958 
"... However, we must mention Felix Ayo, first violin and soloist who drives the ensemble, giving it, thanks to his remarkable temperament, the spark that transforms the interpretation. As soloist in Vivaldi's 'concerto', this excellent artist was to shine and enjoy a well-deserved success."           
- P. Harkel

​

 

Granada - 1 July 1959  
"Felix Ayo showed a magnificent sonority, brilliant, agile and impeccable, with what we would qualify as a soloist of great category..."           
- D. G. Alonso

 

 

Salzburg, Salzburger Nachrichten - 1960  
"Felix Ayo interprets the Solopart with schmelzender süsse und zartem, geformtem Ton überaus virtuos."

 

Hannover, Hannover Presse - 1961.
"Fascinating the technically and rhythmically brilliant solo of concertmaster Felix Ayo, spiritedly accompanied by the orchestra."

 

 

Brussels, Le Soir - 1963 
"Vivaldi's Concerto in D minor, op.3 no. 11, magnificently crowned this concert with a performance brimming with flare, energy, enthusiasm, an admirable variety of sounds and clearly defined oppositions. The "Largo", a true divine inspiration, unfolded in an atmosphere of pure emotion, thanks to the interpretation of the first violin soloist.       

- P.T.

 

 

Rio de Janeiro, O Globo - 1964  
"Musically and technically we continue to admire the fillets of light generated by the Guadagnini of Felix Ayo, race of Casals, Zabaleta and Segovia".

 

 

Saint Etienne "I Musici" 1967 
perfection made orchestra. - I Musici play, as we know, without a conductor; but there is, however, a leader, a master of the work: the violin Felix Ayo, who leads the other eleven soloists in the realization of the most delicate sound architectures..."                            
- Colette Canty

 

​

Buenos Aires, Teatro Colón, La Nación - 1964  
"The part of greatest responsibility was entrusted to the violin soloist Felix Ayo, who displayed outstanding conditions, accrediting complete mastery of the bow strokes and a flexible and refined personality." - -

- Clermont Ferrand, 1965

 

 

"Triumphant return of the I Musici ensemble.

"...It was the Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola by Karl Stamitz, in which we find a Félix Ayo at the height of himself, that is to say, at the height of the greatest, and a Cino Ghedin whose precise and expressive execution no violist could surpass.   

- A. Pinto

 

 

Debut of the "Quartetto Beethoven" all'Estate Fiesolana

Fiesole, La Nazione - 22 luglio 1969

"The interpretations of the 'Beethoven Quartetto Beethoven' seemed of great prestige.... Among the interpretative offerings, the chiaroscuro of the composition of Mozart's melodic lines, the intense and penetrating expressiveness of Brahms and the agile dialogue of Mendelssohn were particularly admired.... warm and prolonged applause for the four instrumentalists, who still played a piece out of program. "

 

 

 

 

Beethoven Quartet Concert Recensions.

 

​

Perth, The West Australian - 1992

The ensemble is nothing short of sublime

"Like a fine wine maturing, the Quartetto Beethoven di Roma, twenty-two years after its 1970 founding, sounds better than ever.... Fauré's Piano Quartet in G minor received an impressively fine defense at the hands of these four musicians. Even the simplest succession of notes sounded meaningful. In this sense, the Quartetto has the Midas touch, turning everything it touches into gold.                                                         

- Neville Cohn

​

 

Copenhagen, Tivoli Theater, 'Politiken' '

"Quartetto con Pianoforte di Classe Mondiale."

"The Beethoven Quartet's visit to the Tivoli is one of the most important events in chamber music. Starting with the sound, already from the first bars the listener is all ears. With stupendous and profound splendor, the bow players create an intimate and tranquil sound, as beautiful as an Italianate tramonto. .... The Beethoven Quartet interprets all the music with vivid human feeling, without becoming for a moment overly sentimental or theatrical..."  

- Jan Jacob

 

 

Buenos Aires, La Nacion - 1993 

Quartetto Beethoven' & Franco Petracchi, controbasso.

"...The ponderable work performed by the Beethoven Quartetto, with the estimable support of double bassist Franco Petracchi, made this ensemble work a paradigm of subtlety in phrasing and dynamics without taking away spontaneity, rather reediting the ineffable pleasure of listening to these musicians making chamber music."                                                                                

- Héctor Coda

​

 

Madrid, ABC (Auditorio de Madrid) 1996 

Beethoven of Rome': Sum of Perfections

"Schumann, with his 'Quartet Op. 47, was well able to bring together the maximum interpretative excellences of the Beethoven Quartet of Rome, in the perfection of an unsurpassable coherence, a masterfully unified sound and, above all, for that difficult naturalness of translation, which has to be highlighted within the excellences that are applauded in the Roman group..."

- Antonio Iglesias

 

 

Buenos Aires, La Prensa (teatro colon) 1997

"Four great soloists".

"High quality of the Beethoven Quartet in the cycle of the Mozarteum' "...But the most substantial part of the evening was still missing: the quartet movement ('Quartettsatz') of an adolescent Gustav Mahler.... The applause ripped out as an encore a 'Scherzo' by Brahms that makes us wish for the soon return of these four great interpreters."

- Daniel Varacalli Costas

                                                                                                                      

 Sydney, The Sydney Morning Herald - 1980  

Felix Ayo technical brilliance

"Mr. Ayo showed with effortless grace how a true master of the violin approaches the demands of the sonata repertoire. However, his brilliant technique is always at the service of the music. The tonal color, the exemplary bowing technique, the dynamic level, every aspect of the performance radiated an assurance that only comes with deep understanding and musical maturity."

- Patricia Brown

 

 

Sydney, Sunday Telegraph - 1980 (Opera House) - Felix Ayo violin

"A superbly executed performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto in G major.

- A. Reed

 

 

Madrid, ABC (Teatro Real), 1982 

"Violinist Felix Ayo and pianist Emma Jimenez form an absolutely exemplary duo...Through a beautiful program, sonatas by Mozart, Brahms and Strauss, the Ayo-Jimenez duo demonstrated an exact understanding of each author and a no less exact understanding of what chamber music is and how it is made.... Tuesday's concert, which was well attended, the endless ovations and the insistently requested 'encores'. "      

- Enrique Franco

 

 

Valencia, Levante - 1983 

"The violinist Felix Ayo, in whom we do not know what to admire more, if his great facility for the most difficult passages, his perfect intonation and rhythmic sense, the beauty of his sound or his expressiveness and interpretative talent, gave us a magnificent version of the 'Concerto in G minor' opus 26. For violin and orchestra by Max Bruch".                                                                            

 

- M. T. Oller

 

Fulda, Fulda Zeitung - 1984 

"The highlight of the evening was Felix Ayo in Max Bruch's violin concerto in G minor. Ayo brought out the best in the rich score with his fine Guadagnini, his high interpretative level and his true understanding of the work. That Adagio will long remain in the memory of Fulda music lovers."

 

 

Copenhagen, Frederiksborg Amts Avis - 1984 

Soloist/Conductor: Felix Ayo, Program: Rossini, Overture 'Il Signor Bruschino'; Marcello: 'Concerto for oboe'; Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G minor and Concerto for 2 trumpets. Boccherini: Symphony 'La casa del Diavolo'.

"...Ayo is one of the few soloists capable, at the same time, of conducting an orchestra with authority.

- Borg Friis 

 

​

Madrid, National Auditorium - 1989. 

La Sinfonica de Euskadi' with Felix Ayo and Emma Jimenez, applauded in the Auditorium. 

"The highest performance and interpretative heights were reached in the concerto for violin, piano and orchestra by the very young Felix Mendelssohn. The performance in the soloist roles of the duo Felix Ayo-Emma Jimenez was not only good, but excellent in every way".                                                        

- Leopoldo Hontanon