Beethoven 4 Strings: Part II: Quatuor Ébène

A string quartet for harps? Not quite – we’ll explain.
Beethoven’s String Quartet N° 10 picked up a nickname that has stuck for over two centuries. The plucked strings at the start sounded so unusual to early listeners that they called it the «Harp» – and once you hear it, you’ll get why. The Quatuor Ébène frames it between the very first quartet Beethoven published (already full of big ideas) and the third «Rasumowsky», which builds from a hushed, mysterious opening into one of the most white-knuckle finales he ever wrote. A proper rollercoaster of a programme.

The music: Ludwig van Beethoven: Streichquartett op. 18/1 · Streichquartett op. 74 «Harfenquartett» / «Les Harpes» · Streichquartett op. 59/3 «Rasumowsky»
The artists: Quatuor Ébène; Pierre Colombet (violin); Gabriel Le Magadure (violin); Marie Chilemme (viola); Yuya Okamoto (cello)