Once and never again: Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy each composed only one string quartet, and in the large chamber music oeuvre of Jean Françaix there is only one string trio. Remarkably, Debussy published his string quartet in 1894 as String Quartet No. 1 - so he was planning further works in this genre. Françaix's string trio is one of his earliest compositions and is still a favorite with audiences today. The Pasquier Trio alone, for whom Françaix wrote his string trio, played it in over 1,000 concerts. Despite the positive reception, no sister work followed. Ravel's string quartet is also a unique early work that he composed as a student at the Paris Conservatoire for the competition for the prestigious "Prix de Rome". Ravel's fifth and last attempt to win the Rome Prize ended in a scandal that cost the director of the conservatory his job. This, too, has only happened once in the history of the venerable Conservatoire.

Three Times

Julie Risbet

Events

Upcoming events

Jun 22, 2025

Three Times · Munich Philharmonic

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in String Quartet by Debussy

Munich Philharmonic

Viola in String Trio by Françaix

Munich Philharmonic

Viola in String Quartet in F major by Ravel

Munich Philharmonic

About

Julie Risbet hasn't added a bio