Ebène Quartet
Pierre Colombet, Violin
Gabriel Le Magadure, Violin
Mathieu Herzog, Viola
Raphaël Merlin, Cello
Distinguished by its youth, open-mindedness, and versatility, France’s Ebène Quartet has had a meteoric rise to the top. Now among the world’s most sought-after quartets, the Ebène made its US debut tour in March 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. The tour featured performances in Boston, Seattle, Washington, DC, and at Carnegie Hall. In October 2009, the Ebène’s CD of Debussy, Ravel, and Fauré string quartets won the Gramophone Award for Recording of the Year—only the fourth time a chamber ensemble has won this prestigious prize. This same recording was named Gramophone’s December 2008 Editor’s Choice and received five-star ratings from both BBC Music Magazine and London’s Sunday Times.
During its 2008–2009 season, the Ebène participated in a Haydn cycle at London’s Wigmore Hall, with the Emerson, Hagen, and Arcanto quartets. The Ebène celebrated the Haydn Year at Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts, and performed in other notable venues that included the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and Gstaad’s Menuhin Festival. In the summer of 2010, the quartet made its Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart debuts.
The Ebène Quartet’s live Haydn CD (Mirare / Harmonia Mundi) was released in February 2006 to unanimous worldwide praise and was one of The Strad’s Album of the Month selections. As part of its multi-year deal with Virgin Classics, the quartet released a Brahms CD in the fall of 2009, and recently released FICTION, a jazz and crossover album. This improvisatory recording features collaborators of international stature, including singer Natalie Dessay.
Considered one of the finest quartets of its generation, the Ebène was named BBC Music Magazine’s 2009 Newcomer of the Year, and was also nominated for the renowned Les Victoires de la Musique Classique Chamber Music Ensemble of the Year. In June 2006, the Ebène was admitted to the esteemed BBC New Generation Artists Scheme, and in 2004 was awarded first prize of the prestigious ARD Competition in Munich, as well as the Karl Klinger Foundation Prize.
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