Edinburgh International Festival: Quatuor Ébène at the Queen's Hall

By Alan Coady, 02 September 2013

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Reviewed at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Edinburgh on 31 August 2013

Haydn, String Quartet no. 62 in C major "The Emperor", Op.76 no.3, Hob III:77

Bartók, String Quartet no. 4 in C major, Sz.91

Mendelssohn, String Quartet no. 2 in A minor, Op.13

Quatuor Ébène

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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Alan Coady

Alan has taught classical guitar in East Lothian schools since 1982. A graduate in Music of the then Huddersfield Polytechnic, he has a soft spot for the contemporary. He also writes a Musical Blog, where the special interest is the intersection of music/language/science.