Jerusalem Quartet – Debussy & Ravel – String Quartets (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Jerusalem Quartet – Debussy & Ravel – String Quartets (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 53:28 minutes | 957 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

A century after his death on 25 March 1918, many harmonia mundi artists are eager to pay tribute to Claude Debussy, the magician of melody and timbre, the great ‘colourist’ and father of modern music. The musicians of the Jerusalem Quartet offer a new reading of his only String Quartet, in the logical coupling with its Ravelian counterpart: in some respects, the two works might seem like twins – and yet what differences there are between them!

The French label harmonia mundi has pulled out all the stops for the 2018 commemoration of the centenary of the death of Claude Debussy, by asking their “house” artists to record the works of the great French composer. Cultural ambassadors for Israel (not always an easy job), the Jerusalem Quartet was created in 1996 and quickly became known as one of the foremost ensembles of the genre, thanks to the power of their playing, the warmth of their performances, and a particularly dense and sensual instrumental colour. Their recordings – thirteen albums for the harmonia mundi label – regularly win awards and critical acclaim in the press. This new recording of the quartets by Debussy and Ravel (a now-classic pairing which seems to have decreed that the two bodies of work will be joined at the hip, even though their authors neither wanted nor observed such a kinship) clearly towers above an already-ample discography. Velvety sounds, dreamy poetry (a marvellous Andantino from Debussy’s Quartet), unbridled wildness and youthful energy are all brought into this subtly-treated party, where flowery sentiments mingle as in a novel by Marcel Proust. – François Hudry

Tracklist:

1. Jerusalem Quartet/Claude Debussy/Jerusalem Quartet – String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10: I. Animé et très décidé (06:35)
2. Jerusalem Quartet/Claude Debussy/Jerusalem Quartet – String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10: II. Assez vif et bien rythmé (03:56)
3. Jerusalem Quartet/Claude Debussy/Jerusalem Quartet – String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10: III. Andantino, doucement expressif (07:47)
4. Jerusalem Quartet/Claude Debussy/Jerusalem Quartet – String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10: IV. Très modéré (07:09)
5. Jerusalem Quartet/Maurice Ravel/Jerusalem Quartet – Quatuor en Fa Majeur, M. 35: I. Allegro moderato (08:18)
6. Jerusalem Quartet/Maurice Ravel/Jerusalem Quartet – Quatuor en Fa Majeur, M. 35: II. Assez vif, très rythmé (05:57)
7. Jerusalem Quartet/Maurice Ravel/Jerusalem Quartet – Quatuor en Fa Majeur, M. 35: III. Très lent (08:08)
8. Jerusalem Quartet/Maurice Ravel/Jerusalem Quartet – Quatuor en Fa Majeur, M. 35: IV. Vif et agité (05:34)

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