Ébène Quartet

Quatuor Ébène is a French string quartet ensemble based in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.

Quatuor Ébène
Background information
OriginBoulogne-Billancourt, France
Years active1999–present
Websitewww.quatuorebene.com

History

Quatuor Ébène was founded in 1999 at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory in France. The group first came to international attention in 2004 when it won first prize in the string quartet category at the ARD International Music Competition, also taking the Audience Prize, two prizes for interpretation, and the Karl Klinger Foundation Prize.[1] The following year, the group won the Belmont Prize from the Forberg-Schneider Foundation.[2] In 2006, Quatuor Ébène released its first recording, a live recording of three Haydn quartets, to critical acclaim. In 2009, the quartet was named "Newcomer of the Year" by BBC Music Magazine for its recording of the Ravel, Fauré, and Debussy string quartets.[3] The same album won the group Recording of the Year at the 2009 Classic FM Gramophone Awards.[4] In 2010, the group was named Ensemble of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique.[5] NPR named Ébène's "Fiction" album one of its 50 favorite albums of 2011, describing the quartet's performance as brimming with "silky smoothness and Gallic finesse."[6]

Musical style

The group is known for its versatility and performs a variety of genres, such as classical music, contemporary music, jazz, and crossover. Beyond its classical repertoire, some of the group's most popular performances have been crossover, such a rendition of the music from the score of Pulp Fiction, arrangements of classic Beatles hits, and a jazz vocal/instrumental arrangement of "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn highlighted the group's versatility, describing the group as "a string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band."[7]

Members
  • Pierre Colombet, violin
  • Gabriel Le Magadure, violin
  • Mathieu Herzog, viola, until 2015
  • Adrien Boisseau, viola, until 2017
  • Marie Chilemme, viola, since 2017
  • Raphaël Merlin, violoncello

Discography
  • Haydn: Quatuors à Cordes (2006), Mirare
  • Bartók: Quatuors Nos. 1-3 (2007), Mirare
  • Debussy, Fauré & Ravel: String Quartets (2008), Erato
  • Brahms: String Quartet No. 1; Piano Quintet (2008), Erato
  • Fiction: Live at Folies Bergère (2011), Erato
  • Mozart: Dissonances (2011), Erato
  • Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn (2013), Erato
  • Brazil (2014), Erato
  • Menahem Pressler 90th Anniversary Concert: Live in Paris (2014), Erato
  • Schubert: Quintet and Lieder (2016), Erato
  • Beethoven: Complete String Quartets (2020), Erato

References
  1. "Quatuor Ébène Biography". Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  2. Cummings, Robert. "Quatuor Ebène". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. "BBC Music Magazine Awards 2009". Presto Classical. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. "Quatuor Ebène win Recording of the Year". Gramophone Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  5. fr:Quatuor Ébène
  6. "50 Favorites: From Bright Eyes to Eric Church". NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. Kozinn, Allan (13 March 2009). "A String Quartet That Can Easily Morph Into a Jazz Band". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
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