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Author Topic: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction  (Read 1147 times)

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timjthomas

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Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« on: December 29, 2011, 12:08:06 PM »
I came across a reference to the album Fiction on NPR's best music of 2011.  Being a String Quartet, I decided to give it a try.

I can only say this is one of the most original CDs I have listened to in quite some time!  I can not recommend Fiction highly enough.  I would recommend previewing the tracks first, it is a bit different  :)

Here is a review from BBC Music: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/zg3q

And here are the comments from NPR:

France's Ebène Quartet has fast become one of the hottest chamber groups in the world, with excellent reason: The youthful group's warmth, vitality, deep curiosity and musical intelligence has carried it far already. But this album is about what these classical string players dub "the other Ebène" — and if that sounds as if they have a split identity, that's just how they'd like it. Fiction is a fresh melange of covers drawn from across genres, from The Beatles' "Come Together" to a smoky "Corcovado" with Stacey Kent as guest vocalist (albeit with a Debussy-esque interlude). Throughout, they play and occasionally sing with silky smoothness and Gallic finesse. This isn't crossover pandering; it's who they are — as Fiction proves, "Nature Boy" and Bruce Springsteen are as much a part of their musical DNA as Mozart.

« Last Edit: December 29, 2011, 12:09:44 PM by timjthomas »
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RexAeterna

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2011, 01:16:26 PM »
i have this album ripped to my computer and i do agree it's really good. i personally really enjoy it. some tracks has an oldskool type of movie/cartoon jazz sound going to them if that makes sense at all.
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Marvey

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2011, 08:04:21 PM »
Definitely keep any recommendations for music coming... I know I appreciate them. There are a lot of lurkers too on this site.
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LFF

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2011, 11:44:53 PM »
Will have to check them out!

Thanks for the recommendation!  :)
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timjthomas

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2011, 01:38:28 AM »
Quote from: purrin on December 29, 2011, 08:04:21 PM
Definitely keep any recommendations for music coming... I know I appreciate them. There are a lot of lurkers too on this site.

Will do.  I got quite a bit of music for Christmas.

What I've listened to so far (in addition to Fiction):
Martinu: Complete Symphonies - My first exposure to Martinu, and prompted me to order the others below.
Scarlatti: Sonatas - Tharaud
Grazyna Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No. 2; Quintets Nos. 1 & 2  - Zimerman
Alkan: Symphony for Solo Piano - Hamelin -- Hamelin is a genius!
Shostakovich: Concertos; Orchestral Suites; Chamber Symphonies [Box Set]   - very Jazzy, I like this set!


Still in the queue to be listened to:
Black Keys - Brothers, Attack & Release, Magic Potion
Charles Ives Four Sonatas - Hilary Hahn
Alkan Etudes
Diamonds in the Dirt - Joanne Shaw Taylor
Explorations - Bill Evans Trio
Complete Village Vanguard Recordings - Bill Evans


On Order:
Quatuor Ébène Performs Ravel, Debussy & Fauré
Faure: Complete Chamber Music for Strings
Mozart: Requiem - Marriner
Bohuslav Martinu: Violin Concertos/Rhapsody-Concerto
Martinu: Chamber Music
Martinu: Cello Concertos; Cello Concertino
Martinu: Complete String Quartets
Martinu: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 & 4
The 3 releases from Soundkeeper Recordings: Lift - Work of Art, Equinox - Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn, Confluence - Jason Vitelli.
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Questhate

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2011, 08:30:40 PM »
Thirded on the "more recommendations!" request, please. I especially would appreciate anyone who could throw me recommendations for Classical, since that's one genre I'd personally like to dig deeper.

timjthomas, good stuff in the queue. Those Village Vanguard recordings are so classic. Also, if you haven't checked out the Rubber Factory and thickfreakness releases from The Black Keys, I'd highly suggest adding those as well!
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RexAeterna

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2012, 09:32:35 AM »
if you like classical but want it in a more complex crazy way,Venetian Snares had couple albums with classical elements in his albums Rossz Csillag Alatt Született and couple tracks in My so Called Life. i don't listen to much classical cause it's hard for me finding stuff i actually like. when it comes to classical and jazz type of stuff it's either from japanese composers from anime OST's(even though i don't watch anime.....or barely even at all anymore, i like some of the composers that write music for them) or comes from electronic genres like Trip-hop,down-tempo or breakcore.

if you do check out Venetian Snares, songs i liked from the Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett album are: Szamar madar,  Ketsarku Mozgalom , Hajnal , Ongyilkos Vasarnap. From his My so Called Life album it's only: Hajnal 2, and My so Called Life.

favorite japanese composer is Yuki Kajiura and the song Morning Moon is still my top favorite track from her. i found out bout her when i saw an anime called Le Portrait de Petite Cossette(no one knows about this really and very under-rated short anime) since i was looking for a more abstract,psychological anime and she was the composer for this short great anime.

Before i forget other people i like is Two Steps from Hell, The Jonah Jones Quartet , Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves for your basic classical/jazz. i don't know if these are proper suggestions and i know tons of more people but can't remember right away untill i look at my music collection cause i'm not great with names and i'm very, very diverse when it comes to music cause i love everything. i also mostly listen to my vintage receiver tuner section all the time for my classical/jazz station if i do listen to classical or jazz. if i find anymore in my collection i'll let you know.
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''I'm a music lover. Not an audiophile.''

''The World is Study.''

''I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.''

''Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.''

Questhate

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2012, 06:11:41 PM »
Good stuff, Rex. This should be a good starting point with lots of new names to research (only person I recognize is Wynton Marsalis).

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melomaniac

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Re: Quatuor Ebene - Fiction
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2012, 02:20:14 AM »
dormant thread, but I thought I'd say that I got this after listening to them live, and I am disappointed with this CD. I prefer the turtle island string quartet, for instance, who do this kind of thing really well
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