ConcertPulse
Quatuor Ébène
Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)
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.