Quatuor Voce - Beethoven: String Quartets (2013)

In only a few years the Quatuor Voce has received numerous prizes in international competitions and also works regularly with many outstanding artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Bertrand Chamayou… Following a nomination from the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the European Chamber Hall Organisation (ECHO) has named the quartet as Rising Stars for the 2013-2014 season.

Since its debut in 2004, the Quatuor Voce has been committed to championing the great repertoire for string quartet and its first CD release was devoted to the music of Schubert: a critic’s choice in The Strad and ƒƒƒƒ in Télérama. They are touring all the prestigious European venues, mostly with this repertoire.

"Beethoven created a personal sound world and tackled crucial new problems in each of the three string quartets recorded here by the Quatuor Voce. In Op.18 no.1 he formulated a novel way of treating thematic material as well as introducing a pathetic dimension into the quartet medium. In Op.59 no.2 he focused on circular forms and lines, and refined the exchanges between the voices. Exploring the heavens, with a contemplation of a starry sky as his starting point, he also added a hitherto untapped spiritual quality to the music. In Op.95 he no longer concentrated on over-arching forms, instead seeking condensation and concision. He paid special attention in this quartet to rapid exchanges between the voices, and to techniques that enabled him to push dramatic intensity to its limits." -- Bernard Fournier