Quatuor Ebène’s recording of string quartets by Ravel, Debussy and Fauré makes for enjoyable and enlightening listening. The quartet has rapidly developed a professional name for itself, internationally recognised as an outstanding group of young musicians. In their first recording for Virgin Classics, the ensemble starts with Debussy’s richly-textured String Quartet. Immediately striking is the closeness of the sound on this disc which, combined with the players' fullness of tone, creates a sense of intimacy. Fauré’s Quartet in E minor (his final composition) follows. After a spacious and heart-wrenching first and second movement, the finale, filled with lively themes which are passed around the instruments, brings the work to a triumphant close. Ravel’s evocative Quartet in F major ends the disc. Quatuor Ebène's sensitivity to the music and to each other pays dividends in this challenging work. The way they play the second movement is particularly notable for the spiky opening and jaunty staccato passages. The third movement, Tres lent, is truly that. The very slowness of the tempo works in its favour – the quartet seems to ease every ounce of emotion out of the music, all the while savouring each moment. The frantic final movement comes as a shock after the serenity of the previous moments, though I'm in no doubt that this is what Ravel and Quatuor Ebène both intended!

Reviewed by Ruth Squire