Quatuor Elmire
(c) Avid-Musicart

Please tell us about the origins of the quartet. How did it come about?
The Elmire Quartet was formed at the Paris Conservatoire in 2017. The quartet’s experiences and development over the years have shaped it into what it is today. The recording of our first album is the natural outcome of this artistic journey.

Why did you choose the name Elmire Quartet?
The name Elmire comes from the theater, and more specifically from Molière’s famous play. We are attached to it because it refers to another art form, French literature.

What was your interpretive goal when you got together?
Our group was born out of a shared passion for the string quartet: the richness of this formation, its unique sound, and its vast repertoire.
It is also a deeply conscious choice of lifestyle and career.
One of our missions is to defend and transmit the great repertoire to as many people as possible. This is also why we dedicated our first album to Beethoven’s three Razumovsky quartets.

Looking through your programs, I see that German music dominates. Was that a deliberate choice?
Beethoven particularly moves us, both through his music and his personality and the place he occupied in the society of his time. His perseverance in the face of his disability and his musical and human ideals make him, for us, one of the heroes of his time and of ours.

And what about French music?
We are, of course, fervent defenders of the French repertoire.

Dutilleux, Debussy, and Ravel will be at the heart of our next season.
We are very happy to return to this repertoire in depth after a period devoted to German and Austrian works: the experience we have gained allows us, in our opinion, to understand its subtleties even better.

How do you approach German music? With a « French touch »?
This French touch is undoubtedly added unconsciously. Our experiences, our culture, and our training inevitably influence us.
But we have also all studied in Europe, in contact with musicians from various backgrounds, and these encounters have nurtured a broader understanding and vision of this repertoire.

What is your attitude towards contemporary music, and what do you expect from the composers you might work with?
The creation of new works is essential for music and for the world of the string quartet. It is an important mission for us. The connection between the composers of yesterday and today is fascinating to perceive and transmit.
We designed a program with this in mind for the « Aux armes, contemporains » festival at La Scala Paris.
The dialogue between Dutilleux, Reich, Pascal Dusapin’s Quartet No. 5, and our commission from the Franco-English composer Héloïse Werner (Incantation in Four Parts) shed a very special light on this repertoire.

Quatuor Elmire
(c) Christian Meuwly

Why did you choose the Razumovsky quartets for your first album?
The choice of the Razumovsky quartets arose from a strong desire shared by all four of us. It came about naturally after our artistic project was awarded a prize at the 77th Geneva International Competition.
We are deeply moved by this moment in Beethoven’s life when he learns that he is going deaf. At the same time as writing his famous will, in which he confided to his brothers his intention to end his life, he composed these three quartets and chose to continue living.
When he said to his contemporaries, « I am not writing this music for you, but for future generations, » we see immense strength in this. In our album, we wanted to convey the idea that nothing is insurmountable and that disability can become a source of strength.

There are many more quartets in the music world today than there were in the second half of the 20th century. Does this competition scare you?
For us, rubbing shoulders with more and more quartets is a source of enrichment. Each ensemble has a unique sound, and that is a source of inspiration.
We are deeply convinced of the value of our craft, of the art of the quartet that we champion, and of the uniqueness of our four identities combined. Beyond our repertoire choices, it is this shared sound identity that we want to offer to those who listen to us.

Quatuor Elmire gibt beeindruckendes Albumdebüt mit den Razumovsky-Quartetten