Ebène Quartet Returns to North America for Nine-City Winter 2010 Tour

By -

Taking in LA, NYC (Le Poisson Rouge) and DC (Kennedy Center)

Ebène’s Virgin Classics Debut Release of Debussy, Ravel and Fauré Won Gramophone “Recording of the Year” Award
“Even in a scene chock-full of excellent young groups, the Ebène Quartet stands out for the intensity of its performances and its striking sonic range, as heard on a recently-released Virgin Classics CD nicely filled with exacting, atmospheric accounts of quartets by Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel.” – Time Out New York

Described in a New York Times headline as “A String Quartet That Can Easily Morph Into a Jazz Band,” the Paris-based Ebène Quartet, winner this season of Gramophone’s coveted “Recording of the Year” award, returns to North America for a nine-city tour from February 5 – 23. The tour will feature the celebrated ensemble in performances of music heard on its first two releases for Virgin Classics, as well as signature jazz and pop interpretations. The winter tour kicks off in Appleton, Wisconsin (Feb 5) and includes two performances in Los Angeles (Feb 13 and 14), a return for the second consecutive season to New York’s popular music club, Le Poisson Rouge (Feb 16), and a concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (February 23). Last season, the group played Debussy’s String Quartet – featured on its award-winning album – at [Le] Poisson Rouge; one of its disc-mates, the Ravel Quartet, will be on the program there this year, along with jazz standards and improvisations that have set the group apart as one of classical music’s most adventurous ensembles.

Last season, the Ebène Quartet made huge waves with much-discussed live performances in the U.S. and with its debut recording for Virgin Classics, an all-French album featuring quartets by Debussy, Ravel, and Fauré. For its second release for the label – issued in the States in October 2009 – the Ebène offered an all-Brahms program, pairing the composer’s String Quartet No. 1 with his Piano Quintet. Japanese pianist Akiko Yamamoto joins the quartet for the latter.

Ebène Quartet – North American tour dates/programs February 2010

Friday, February 5

Appleton, WI

Lawrence University

(Masterclass day of concert)

Haydn: Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3, “The Rider”

Brahms: Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Debussy: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Saturday, February 6

Columbia, MD

Candlelight Music Society

All-Beethoven program (part of ongoing multi-group cycle)

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1

Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1

Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

Monday, February 8

Toronto, ON

University of Toronto

Haydn: Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3, “The Rider”

Brahms: Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Debussy: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Wednesday, February 10

Tucson, AZ

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music

Mozart: Divertimento in F major, K. 138

Fauré: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121

Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80

Saturday, February 13

Los Angeles, California

Da Camera Society

All-Beethoven program (part of ongoing multi-group cycle)

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1

Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1

Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

Sunday, February 14

Los Angeles, CA

The Clark Library/UCLA

Ravel: Quartet in F major

Fauré: Quartet in E minor, Op. 121

Debussy: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Tuesday, February 16

New York, NY

[Le] Poisson Rouge

Ravel: Quartet in F major

Jazz/Crossover

Friday, February 19

Burlington, VT

UVM Lane Series

Haydn: Quartet in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3, “The Rider”

Brahms: Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Debussy: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Sunday, February 21

Athens, GA

University of Georgia

Office of Performing Arts

All-Beethoven program (part of going multi-group cycle)

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1

Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1

Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

Tuesday, February 23

Washington, D.C.

Washington Performing Arts Society

Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1

Fauré: Quartet in E minor, Op. 121

Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor, Op. 80

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In ...
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

Teaching Composition – What are we trying to achieve

By -
In the process of learning composition I have spent time with a number of instructors who have encouraged me to write twelve-tone, pitch-class, electro-acoustic and other forms of experimental techniques. No matter how much I might understand and appreciate the work of other composers in the genres, these are not forms of music I resonate with. They are simply not forms of music I listen to and I struggle with the idea of writing them. However, in a Master Class by Libby Larsen she made the comment, “Learn them all, because all forms of music have something to offer.” This I very much agree. There are elements of each of the above mentioned forms (and others) that I do resonate with. Berg’s Violin Concerto is a beautiful twelve-tone work, although it is possible to look at numerous sections of the music with a “tonal” analysis. Another composer friend, Gary Bachlund commented that using these techniques can narrow the choices for how to compose a piece of work. If you look at ...
Read more