Quatuor Ébène Presented by Liszt Academy

The members of the French Quatuor Ébène took lessons from Gábor Takács-Nagy, Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág before winning the ARD Competition in 2004. In 2009, they were awarded the BBC Music Magazine’s “Discovery of the Year” and Gramophone’s “Recording of the Year” awards for their album of string quartets by French composers. The legend of the ensemble was also showcased in a film made in 2017, which gave an insight into the discussions, rehearsals, rehearsals and passion that go into preparing for a highly successful concert. And though their unity was broken when the viola player and then the cellist changed, the quartet is about to dazzle audiences at the Liszt Academy with its second concert in five years. This concert features two Viennese classics and a 20th century composition. The string quartet cycle Op. 76, dedicated to Count József Erdődy, was written in Haydn’s late years, and its fourth piece is named after the upwardly sweeping motif in the highest voice of the first movement. Britten, in his early twenties, wrote a composition of three movements of different character (March, Waltz, Burlesque), the title of which evokes the divertimento, a popular entertainment genre in Haydn’s day. The evening concludes with Beethoven’s grandiose string quartet in six movements, including the finale of the original version, the Great Fugue, which was replaced at the request of the publishers.