Musikfest Prize presented to the Quatuor Ébène

On Sunday 23 August, following the final concert of the Beethoven cycle in the Small Auditorium of the Glocke, the Musikfest Bremen hosted a private reception on the stage of the Great Auditorium in honour of this year's Musikfest award winners, the Quatuor Ebène. In his laudatory speech, Artistic Director Prof. Thomas Albert summarised the quartet’s artistic achievements at the Musikfest since their 2007 debut. He emphasised that, with this year's Beethoven cycle – in which all 16 of the composer's quartets from his early, middle and late periods were performed over six evenings – the Quatuor Ebène had brought their work at the Musikfest to a fitting close. Edda Bosse of the Philharmonic Society, which sponsored the cycle, also emphasised that the Quatuor Ebène’s Beethoven cycle would be firmly enshrined as a special highlight in the annals of the Philharmonic Society from now on. Pierre Colombet expressed the Quatuor Ebène’s gratitude for this great honour, especially since Germany feels like a second home to them, thanks to their training with Eberhard Feltz and their victory in the 2004 ARD Music Competition in Munich, which marked the quartet’s international breakthrough. They have therefore formed a particularly close bond with the Musikfest Bremen through their commitment to chamber music since their debut in 2007, and they expressed their gratitude to the Musikfest audience, who they feel completely understand them.