Quatuor Ãbène
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Biography
Recognized as one of the leading French string quartets of its generation, Quatuor Ãbène was formed in 1999 by former students of the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine) Pierre Colombet (first violin), Gabriel Le Magadure (second violin), Mathieu Herzog (viola) and Matthieu Fontana (cello), replaced in 2002 by Raphaël Merlin. In their early years, the quartet members studied with the Quatuor Ysaÿe at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and took performance lessons with violinist Gábor Takács-Nagy and composer György Kurtág in Hungary. Tied for second prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2003, the group went on to win First Jury Prize and Audience Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich the following year, before being named one of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists in 2006. Signed to the Virgin Classics label, the Quatuor Ãbène has recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums, including Bartók: Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3 (2007), Debussy, Fauré, Ravel: String Quartets (2008, Gramophone Chamber Music Recording of the Year), Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 & String Quintet (2009). 1 & String Quintet (2009, with Japanese pianist Akiko Yamamoto) and Fiction (2010), a recital of film themes which won a Victoire de la musique classique, then Mozart: String Quartets KV 465 & KV 421, Divertimento KV 138 (2011). On the Erato label distributed by Warner Classics are Mendelssohn: Felix & Fanny (2013), awarded a Diapason d'or, and Brazil (2014), featuring interpretations of South American standards with contributions from Stacey Kent and Bernard Lavilliers. Invited to the 90th birthday concert of former Beaux Arts Trio member Menahem Pressler, the quartet collaborates with brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Michel Dalberto, Michel Portal, Nathalie Dessay, Philippe Jaroussky and Matthias Goerne. There have been several changes of musicians on viola, with Adrien Boisseau replacing Mathieu Herzog in 2015, and Marie Chilemme replacing him in 2017. In between performances in major halls and classical music festivals around the world, including an invitation to New York's Carnegie Hall in 2020, the Beethoven string quartet cycle Around the World (2020) is also recorded in public, spread over seven volumes and brought together in a box set. In 2021, 'Round Midnight combines compositions by Dutilleux(Ainsi la nuit) and Schoenberg, with Antoine Tamestit and Nicolas Altstaedt, and two years later, a new Diapason d'or is awarded to the album Mozart: String Quartets K. 515 & K. 516. In 2024, the quartet left the classical realm to explore jazz standards on the album Milestones. The Jazz Album. The same year sees the departure of Raphaël Merlin, replaced by Japanese cellist Yuya Okamoto. 2026 saw the release of Enescu & Mendelssohn: Octets, with the British Belcea Quartet.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- String Quartet No. 1 In C Minor Op. 51 No. 1: I. Allegro
- String Quartet No. 1 In C Minor Op. 51 No. 1: III. Allegretto Molto Moderato e Comodo - un Pocò Più
- Piano Quintet In F Minor Op. 34: II. Andante, un Poco Adagio by Akiko Yamamoto
- Sonata for Cello & Piano No.2 in E Minor Op.108: III. Allegro non troppo
- Quintet for Piano & Strings No.2 Op.115: I. Allegro moderato featuring Nicholas Angelich
- String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 121: I. Allegro moderato
- Nothing Personal
- Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: I. Allegro molto moderato by Quatuor Ãbène
- Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: II. Scherzo. Allegro vivo by Quatuor Ãbène
- String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1, "Razumovsky": IV. Allegro (Russian Theme)
- String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95, "Quartetto serioso": IV. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato - Allegro
- Bluesette
- String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956: I. Allegro ma non troppo
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. Posth. 114, D. 667 "The Trout": V. Finale. Allegro giusto
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. Posth. 114, D. 667 "The Trout": IV. Tema con variazione. Andantino
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. Posth. 114, D. 667 "The Trout": II. Andante
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. Posth. 114, D. 667 "The Trout": I. Allegro vivace
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: IV. Finale. Allegro
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: III. Scherzo. Furiant
- Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, B. 155: II. Dumka. Andante con moto
- Come Together
- String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2: IV. Allegro molto, quasi presto
- String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95, "Quartetto serioso": I. Allegro con brio
- Nature Boy
