Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

The current membership of the Australian String Quartet was established in 2006. Among their many accolades, these players were selected to perform a series of concerts to celebrate the Danish Royal Wedding in 2004. This is a wonderful CD filled with dazzling musicianship and virtuoso performances. The quartet is currently touring the UK giving concerts in London and Birmingham.

When the Quatuor Ebčne was signed to Virgin Classics in early 2008. Alain Lanceron, the label’s President, said: “The Quatuor Ebčne is the embodiment of the modern string quartet. The extraordinary way its members craft their sonority, their re-examination of quartet masterpieces, their readiness to engage with music beyond the traditional repertoire, their innovative and creative approach: all these factors have led us to invite them to add their lustre to Virgin Classics' roster of artists. We welcome them with enthusiasm – the same kind of enthusiasm they bring to everything they do."

Formed in France in 1999, the Quatuor Ebčne took its name from ebony, the precious and exotic wood used in instrument-making. The award-winning ensemble has since achieved an enviable international reputation for refined, dynamic musicianship, minutely responsive teamwork, an adventurous spirit and even a taste for improvisation. The Quartet’s repertoire ranges from Haydn and Mozart, cornerstones of the Classical repertoire, through the 19th and 20th centuries to contemporary composers and jazz.

The Quatuor Ebčne’s debut recording on Virgin Classics brings together the string quartets of the three emblematic French composers of the late 19th and early 20tb centuries: Fauré, Debussy and Ravel. The Debussy and Ravel quartets represent a traditional pairing in the catalogue, but they have rarely been coupled with the Fauré, his final work, composed in his late seventies. As it happens, Ravel dedicated his own quartet to Fauré, who was his teacher.

“Interpreters of rare understanding and communicative flair” The Strad