Quatuor Ebène

Witness Beethoven’s musical evolution across works from the early and middle parts of his career. The composer’s genius for conveying tragedy was apparent from his first quartet, with its Romeo and Juliet–inspired second movement, while the heroic conclusion to his Third “Razumovsky” Quartet highlights another Beethoven trademark: the glorious conquering of heartbreak. The “Harp” Quartet, named for its notable use of pizzicato, thrills from its opening movement, with a “blaze of manic string-crossing … handled with an almost balletic grace” by Quatuor Ébène (The Strad).