Ebène Quartet

"A string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band"
The New York Times

SPAC welcomes the Ebène Quartet to the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival on AUG 14!

There is no doubt: These four French musicians have class and are perhaps the most creative ensemble on the international chamber music scene today. No other quartet moves with such ease and enthusiasm between different styles and, even if the foursome only rarely presents live programs that combine classical music and Jazz, “The other Ebène” page on the quartet’s website offers visitors several music clips of their more contemporary arrangements, an integral part of the ensemble’s repertoire.

Rather unusual in today’s world of chamber music, the Quatuor Ebène’s stylistic acrobatics may at first meet defiant ears, due in part to the general misuse of the term “crossover”, which so often serves to cover mediocrity and redundancy. And yet, with the Ebènes, whenever they create a new work, it is always with taste and integrity.

Nevertheless, the quartet’s traditional repertoire does not suffer in any way from its love of Jazz. On the contrary, it would seem that the Ebènes’ tendency to delve into the “other side” of music inspires their work in untangling and giving new life to classical works. During its performance at the Hitzacker summer festival in 2009 for example, the quartet was heard playing a quartet by Haydn with such spontaneity, it gave the impression that this music, over 200 years old, was somehow just composed.

There is, in French ensemble music today, a certain élan, which suits modern chamber music particularly well. This new generation of French musicians, their hearts full of passion for tradition, have been captivating audiences with great success, converting listeners into avid fans of the chamber music genre. Their performance is so convincing, their stage presence so charismatic, that one cannot escape the spellbinding magic of these masterpieces.

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