While this post is about a string quartet, it is nothing like what you might expect.
The Quatuor Ébène is proving that there is far more to the string quartet repertoire than we are used to hearing. ‘Avant-garde’ barely describes the chances these four young men take in embracing the entire field of music, from their award winning CD of the quartets of Debussy, Ravel and Fauré and another all Haydn CD to this collection of creative works that is titled “Fiction”
These four musicians have studied extensively with the Ysaye Quartet in Paris as well as with the eminent Gábor Takács, Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág. Their performing standards are high and they are highly regarded for their subtle phrasing and sweeping passion. But they don’t stop there.
This recording, titled FICTION, has the quartet entering the repertoire of pop and jazz: they can be seen performing on YouTube where it is obvious that using contemporary sound techniques such as attaching mini-microphones to their instruments to give that ‘electric sound’.
Here is a sample of the amazing music by the Ebene Quatuor:
