For more than 20 years, the “superb and intensely focused” (The New York Times) Quatuor Ébène has been taking audiences on a remarkable journey of musical discovery. The French ensemble is known for both white-hot intensity and cultivating a striking palette of expressive colors through a fluid, organic sense of blend and balance. In its Cal Performances debut, the group plays Mozart’s ebullient Quartet No. 21 from his Prussian set; Grieg’s lone completed quartet, a work of striking originality and energy; and Schnittke’s kinetic and intense String Quartet No. 3 from 1983. “They appear to have thrown away the semantic rulebook to create fresh, compelling sound worlds from the roots up” (The Strad).

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Quatuor Ébène

First Congregational Church

In Spring 2020, Quatuor Ébène launched its “Beethoven Around the World” project, recording Beethoven’s 16 string quartets in a worldwide project on six continents. With this complete recording, the four celebrated their 20th stage anniversary, which they then crowned with performances of the complete string quartet cycle in major European venues such as the Philharmonie de Paris and the Alte Oper Frankfurt and invitations from Carnegie Hall, the Verbier Festival, and the Vienna Konzerthaus.

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

It's a rare ensemble that can play Haydn and Debussy with complete command and then shift gears to offer a jazz set of Miles Davis and Chick Corea with equal authority. But the versatile Ébène Quartet, from Paris, has made that its trademark, adding spice to a traditionally fusty corner of classical music. This complexity of their repertoire has been greeted enthusiastically by audiences and critics and made them one of Europe’s most sought-after ensembles

Ebene Quartet

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Talented Shepherd School students perform short musical excerpts and receive coaching from a distinguished guest in front of a live audience. 

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Critics have written of Quatuor Ébène performances that it's hard to imagine "playing at once more diverse and more brilliant than this… the possibilities of a string quartet were shown to be boundless" (Bachtrack). "The superb and intensely focused" (New York Times) French ensemble makes its Baltimore Debut with Mozart and Schnittke, and Grief's only complete quartet, one of this most expressive and richly textured works.  

Quatuor Ébène, (Baltimore Debut)

Johns Hopkins University

Over the past two decades, French ensemble Quatuor Ébène has thrilled audiences with performances ranging from the complete Beethoven cycle to forays into Left Bank jazz. The ensemble’s telepathic understanding, artistic daring, and musical individuality make for edge-of-the-seat concert experiences, intensely focused and touched by visionary insights.

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

“We need the inspiration of the audience,” said cellist Raphaël Merlin of the esteemed <a>Quatuor Ébène</a>, which returns for its third performance with Coleman. These words were one of the central ideas of the <em>“Beethoven Around the World”</em> project, during which the quartet recorded Beethoven’s 16 string quartets on six continents between May 2019 and January 2020. These recordings were also part of the quartet’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Quatuor Ébène’s albums have received numerous awards, including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and the Midem Classic Award.

Quatuor Ébène

Apr 16, 2024

Quatuor Ébène

Apr 12, 2024

Quatuor Ébène

Quatuor Ébène