Gabriel Le Magadure, Frank Braley, Quatuor Agate – Chausson – Lekeu (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Gabriel Le Magadure, Frank Braley, Quatuor Agate – Chausson – Lekeu (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:14:35 minutes | 1,35 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Appassionato, le label

Formed in 2016, the Quatuor Agate derives its name from one of the most beautiful chamber music pieces, Johannes Brahms’s Second Sextet, dedicated to his second love, Agathe von Siebold.
Seven years later, this fascination with Brahms materialized with the release of their debut album on February 23 2024, featuring the complete String Quartets under Appassionato, le label.

A few weeks after the quartet’s inception, they embarked on their first venture—the creation of the CorsiClassic festival, an annual event in Ajaccio, Corsica. The festival’s mission is to bring chamber music to diverse audiences.

Distinguished in various international competitions and festivals for several years (including the Best Contemporary Interpretation Prize at the BANFF International String Quartet Competition 2022, Audience Prize at the Steels-Wilsing Competition 2020, and in the Verbier Festival 2019), the Quatuor Agate achieved a significant milestone in 2021 by winning the prestigious auditions of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in London.

A highlight of 2023 saw them named ECHO Rising Stars, embarking on a tour of Europe’s major concert halls for the 24/25 season.

From 2021 to 2023, they made their debut at renowned venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Prinzregententheater in Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Dortmund, TauberPhilharmonie in Weikersheim, Brucknerhaus Linz, as well as participating in festivals like Verbier Festival, Festival de Salon-de-Provence, Festival de Radio France, Britten-Pears Arts in Aldeburgh, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Lammermuir Festival (Scotland), among others.

The quartet regularly collaborates with esteemed musicians and ensembles, including Emmanuel Pahud, Enrico Pace, Éric Le Sage, Frank Braley, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Marc Danel, Gabriel Le Magadure, Pierre Fouchenneret, the Kronos Quartet, the Quatuor Ebène, the Quatuor Modigliani, and the Jerusalem Quartet.

Gabriel Le Magadure has been fascinated by chamber music and more particularly by the world of the string quartet since he was very young. He is the violinist of Quatuor Ébène.

As a member of the quartet, Le Magadure has performed in the most prestigious concert halls in the world: Carnegie Hall in New York, Berlin Philharmonic, Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Tonhalle in Zürich, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Salzburger Festspiele, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Théâtre du Châtelet and Salle Pleyel in Paris. He regularly performs in Japan, the United States and throughout Europe.

Born in 1981, Gabriel Le Magadure started playing the violin at age 6 at the CNR of Nantes. In 1999, after obtaining a first prize in violin (in the class of Colette Bord) and two first prizes in chamber music, he entered the CNR of Boulogne-Billancourt in the class of Maryvonne Le Dizès. In 2001 he obtained first prize in violin with unanimous approval and the following year he entered the CNSMD in Lyon in the class of Christophe Poiget. In 2003, after winning 2nd prize (1st prize not awarded) at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition with Quatuor Ébène, Le Magadure devoted himself entirely to the quartet.

Within this ensemble he has worked with great teachers including the Ysaÿe Quartet, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Eberhard Feltz and the composer György Kurtag. The quartet has also had the chance to share the stage with renowned partners such as Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Mitsuko Uchida, Nicholas Angelich, Alexandre Tharaud, Franck Braley, Daniel Müller-Schott, Antoine Tamestit, Bertrand Chamayou, Nicolas Altstaedt, Andràs Schiff and Menahem Pressler among them.

Le Magadure has also led masterclasses throughout the world: at the Freiburg and Stuttgart Hochschule, at the Lake District Festival in England, at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, and at the CNSM in Paris. In 2021, he became professor in residence at the Munich Hochschule.

Tracklist:
1-01. Gabriel Le Magadure – Concert pour piano, violon et quatuor à cordes en Ré Majeur, Op. 21: I. Décidé – Calme – Animé (14:47)
1-02. Gabriel Le Magadure – Concert pour piano, violon et quatuor à cordes en Ré Majeur, Op. 21: II. Sicilienne (04:28)
1-03. Gabriel Le Magadure – Concert pour piano, violon et quatuor à cordes en Ré Majeur, Op. 21: III. Grave (10:24)
1-04. Gabriel Le Magadure – Concert pour piano, violon et quatuor à cordes en Ré Majeur, Op. 21: IV. Finale. Très animé (10:57)
1-05. Gabriel Le Magadure – Sonate pour piano et violon en Sol Majeur: I. Très modéré – Vif et passionné (12:35)
1-06. Gabriel Le Magadure – Sonate pour piano et violon en Sol Majeur: II. Très lent (11:20)
1-07. Gabriel Le Magadure – Sonate pour piano et violon en Sol Majeur: III. Très animé (10:04)

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