In 2027 it will be two hundred years since Beethoven died, an anniversary that is being commemorated worldwide. The world famous Quatuor Ébène offers an early preview and presents a tribute featuring three highlights from his string quartet repertoire.

The French quartet opens with two works from Beethoven’s early period. In these quartets we hear a young Beethoven measuring himself against his great model Haydn, while already clearly developing his own voice. The sparkling, almost playful character of String Quartet in A Opus 18 number 5 stands in strong contrast to the dramatic intensity of String Quartet in C minor Opus 18 number 4. After the interval comes a monument, String Quartet in E flat Opus 127. This work marks the beginning of Beethoven’s late quartets and opens an entirely new musical world. Here we no longer hear classical elegance, but a deeply personal and almost visionary musical language. Tenderness and exuberance, stillness and grandeur alternate in a quartet that is both intimate and overwhelming.

With their refined sound and compelling playing, Quatuor Ébène creates an evening in which Beethoven’s genius can be experienced at close range, intense, surprising and vividly alive.

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770 to 1827
String Quartet in A Opus 18 number 5
String Quartet in C minor Opus 18 number 4

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String Quartet in E flat Opus 127