Quatuor Ébène

Beethoven’s vast emotional range is showcased in part two of Quatuor Ébène’s quartet cycle. No. 6 is the most forward-looking of Beethoven’s early-period Op. 18 quartets, and its finale features a stunning dialogue between joy and anguish. The composer’s personal hardships are intensely felt in his late-period A-Minor Quartet, yet his sense of humor is unmistakable, too. The quartet’s third movement—a celebration of newfound strength after illness—is deservedly one of the string quartet repertoire’s most beloved.