Quatuor Ébène shines in rarely performed and standard repertoire

By Edward Sava-Segal, 15 March 2018

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“The Ébène foursome animated an entire universe”

Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Zankel, New York City on 13 March 2018

Beethoven, String Quartet no. 8 in E minor, "Razumovsky", Op.59 no.2

Fauré, String Quartet in E minor, Op.121

Dutilleux, Ainsi la nuit

Quatuor Ébène

Pierre Colombet, Violin

Gabriel Le Magadure, Violin

Raphaël Merlin, Cello

Marie Chilemme, Viola

The power of clarity: Quatuor Ébène at the Concertgebouw

Antonio D'Amato, 8th November

The Quatuor Ébène deliver striking clarity and deep musical understanding in performances of Mozart, Debussy and Brahms.

*****

Echoes of Youth: the Belcea and Ébène Quartets at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 14th November

A concert of Mendelssohn and Enescu octets which proves that eight can be more than four plus four.

****1

A game of numbers: Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène play octets

Alexander Hall, 28th May

Sometimes you just marvel at the level of musical inspiration and the virtuosic quality of the playing. The two octets by Mendelssohn and Enescu make a very satisfying pairing.

****1

New cellist, same radiating intensity: Quatuor Ébène at Zankel Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 5th April

A programme consisting of works from three different centuries illustrated the French ensemble's versatility and acumen.

*****

Zinging strings: Janine Jansen leads an all-Stradivarius octet

Mark Pullinger, 19th December

Violin dealers J & A Beare celebrate its 130th anniversary in lavish style by bringing together eight of the Cremona luthier’s exceptional instruments for a concert directed by Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen.

****1

A greatly accomplished performance by the Quatuor Ébène at Zankel Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 30th March

One would never had guessed that the Ébènes had not played Shostakovich's dark Eighth String Quartet before this tour, such was the way their performance transcended individual agony to address human despair in general.

*****

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Edward Sava-Segal

Edward has been living in New York for the last 25 years, one of the reasons being the extraordinarily rich cultural life in this city. He has studied piano and classical music in his early years. He switched later on to computer science and data architecture but he kept an unwavering interest in following the classical music phenomenon here in New York and in his travels. Edward occasionally reviews fine arts events for the most prestigious literary magazine in Romania, his home country.

Quatuor Ébène shines in both rarely performed and standard repertoire