In themselves, Beethoven’s quartets represent an odyssey, a round-the-world voyage,” says Quatuor Ébène. The French ensemble is marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with a global tour of 21 countries. In the course of their Beethoven Around the World tour, the Ébène will make live recordings in seven different cities: Vienna, Philadelphia, Tokyo, São Paulo, Melbourne, Nairobi and Paris. This first release, recorded at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, comprises the first two ‘Razumovsky’ Quartets, op 59 No 1 and op 59 No 2.
1 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 ‘Rasumovsky No. 1’
2 I. Allegro
3 II. Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando
4 III. Adagio Molto E Mesto
5 IV. Allegro (Russian Theme)
6 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2 ‘Rasumovsky No. 2’
7 Quatuor Ebène (String Quartet)
8 II. Molto Adagio
9 III. Allegretto
10 IV. Finale – Presto