Quatuor Hermès: Ravel, Dutilleux & Debussy Quatuor Hermès

• Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): String Quartet in F Major:
• 1 I. Allegro moderato 08:19
• 2 II. Assez vif. Très rythmé 06:17
• 3 III. Très lent 07:59
• 4 IV. Vif et agité 05:01
• Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013): String Quartet "Ainsi la nuit":
• 5 I. Nocturne 03:02
• 6 II. Miroir d'espace (Parenthèse 1) 02:03
• 7 III. Litanies (Parenthèse 2) 02:46
• 8 IV. Litanies 2 (Parenthèse 3) 04:22
• 9 V. Constellations (Parenthèse 4) 02:10
• 10 VI. Nocturne 2 00:54
• 11 VII. Temps suspendu 02:39
• Claude Debussy (1862-1918): String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10:
• 12 I. Animé et très décidé 06:31
• 13 II. Assez vif et bien rythmé 03:54
• 14 III. Andantino, doucement expressif 07:23
• 15 IV. Très modéré 07:09
• Total Runtime 01:10:29

Info for Quatuor Hermès: Ravel, Dutilleux & Debussy

"There is no need by now to introduce the Quatuor Hermès, which has become the most brilliant of the young generation of French quartets thanks to its solid track record of faultless yet never flashy performances.

After a Schumann disc acclaimed by press and public alike, the four musicians offer us here a programme they have been contemplating – and playing – for a long time now. But recording the quartets of Ravel, Debussy and Dutilleux is not something they wanted to undertake lightly after a brief flirtation . . .

‘This recording just happens to mark our tenth anniversary! But nothing is merely the result of chance: it is also the fruit of time, of all those years we have spent together acquiring a sort of wisdom, that finally persuaded us now was the moment, like a love that flowers slowly.’

The bond between the Quatuor Hermès and these masterly works has led to a recording of exceptional maturity, whose emotional power, poetry and almost incredible fusion grip you right from the first bars of the Ravel and never relax their hold until the final chord of the Debussy Quartet.

The Hermès’s ability to take you by the hand at once and never let go derives from a subtle alchemy in which fluidity in the choice of timbres, colours and moods succeeds in retelling the works’ stories in a fresh and compelling way. A sort of natural elegance, a balance between spontaneity and profound respect for the great masters, indeed for music itself."

Omer Bouchez, violin
Elise Liu, violin
Yung-Hsin Lou Chang, alto
Anthony Kondo, cello

Quatuor Hermès
Maturity, sincerity, finesse and intelligence are certainly the most suitable words to describe the Hermes quartet.

These qualities, very early noticed by Miguel Da Silva and the Ravel and Ysaÿe quartets, develop and maintain alongside Eberhard Feltz, Artemis Quartet and members of the Alban Berg Quartet.

Now, impossible not to be affected by the accomplice sensitivity linking the four musicians. A year after their training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon, the first prize at the International Chamber Music Lyon 2009 reveals them, a special prize for their interpretation of "Ainsi la Nuit", Henri Dutilleux (SACEM prize). The charm works again in Geneva (first prize at the International Competiton 2011). At the same time, they are laureates of the Maurice Ravel Academy and the Charles Oulmont Foundation.

In November 2012, it's the consecration at the prestigious Young Concert Artist Auditions in New York. The four French win one of the first prizes, which opens the doors of the most beautiful american stages.

A great tour in the USA is scheduled for Autumn 2013, but in the meantime, the "windged" quartet continues to travel trough Europe. They performed in the Lockenhaus festival, at the Orangerie de Sceaux, Festival Radio France Montpellier or Crescendo festival in Berlin. Their music has also brought them beyond the borders of Europe, such as Japan and Egypt, great opportunities to share their passion.

During the Geneva Competition, Breguet Watches awarded them "Coup de coeur", offering the possibility to the Hermes quartet to record a first album (released in November 2012 under the label Nascor), in which they interpret two major works of Haydn and Beethoven

Booklet for Quatuor Hermès: Ravel, Dutilleux & Debussy