Quatuor Ébène

• Classical Music

This concert will not only make the hearts of string quartet fans beat faster, but also delight newcomers to chamber music: with technical brilliance and incredible versatility, the Quatuor Ébène has been among the crème de la crème of the music world for over twenty years – »a string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band,« gushed the New York Times. For their next visit to Hamburg, the musicians have packed repertoire gems as well as brand new pieces into their luggage.
A particular highlight is the performance of a new work by Raphaël Merlin. He was cellist in the Quatuor Ébène until spring 2024 and is now focusing on his international career as a composer and conductor. You may be very curious about what the Frenchman will place onto the stands of his long-standing ensemble.

The award-winning foursome also presents Beethoven’s first-ever string quartet before the work commissioned by the Elbphilharmonie. With this adventurous piece, Beethoven opened a new chapter in music history after Haydn and Mozart. Just 70 years later, Tchaikovsky composed his expressive Third String Quartet, which he dedicated to a deceased friend, the violinist Ferdinand Laub – a highly emotional work that expresses a profoundly touching obituary in sounds especially in its slow movement.

PERFORMERS

Quatuor Ébène string quartet

Pierre Colombet violin

Gabriel Le Magadure violin

Marie Chilemme viola

Yuya Okamoto violoncello

PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in F major, Op. 18/1

Raphaël Merlin
New work

- Interval -

Piotr I. Tschaikowsky
String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30