Beethoven Cycle Ébène Quartet II Union College

Saturday, March 27, 2027 at 7:30 PM

We close the Schenectady season with the first half of a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s passing. Three of the world’s greatest ensembles—the Belcea, Brentano, and Ébène—will each present two programs traversing the composer’s sixteen string quartets in Spring and Fall 2027.

This Parisian ensemble has dazzled our audience and those around the world with their awe-inspiring cohesiveness and scintillating performances. The Ébène plays the complete Beethoven cycle this season at Carnegie Hall, and we’re thrilled to have them be part of ours.

BEETHOVEN QUARTET CYCLE (PART I)
- A-major Quartet, Op. 18, No. 5
- C-minor Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4
- E-flat Major Quartet, Op. 127

Sponsored by David Shaffer
Runtime: 2 hours

Union College, Memorial Chapel
Schenectady, NY

General admission seating. Doors open 45 minutes before the concert. All kids and college students are admitted free at the door.

Quatuor Ébène has been at the forefront of chamber music for more than two decades, bringing new life to familiar repertoire and seeking connection with its audience. The quartet rose to prominence after winning the ARD Music Competition in 2004 and has since received numerous prizes and accolades.

Alongside traditional repertoire, the quartet explores other genres. Its jazz and pop improvisations became a trademark, and it has released three albums in these genres: Fiction (2010), Brazil (2014), and Eternal Stories (2017). Its recordings of works by Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Haydn, Fauré, and the Mendelssohn siblings have also received acclaim.

The quartet recorded all sixteen Beethoven string quartets between May 2019 and January 2020, marking its 20th anniversary. It has performed complete Beethoven cycles at venues including the Philharmonie de Paris and Alte Oper Frankfurt, and plays the cycle at Carnegie Hall this season.