Haydn did not often include fugues in his string quartets, despite Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy being known to appreciate fugal writing.   In the final movement of this quartet in f minor however, the opening subject is stated first by the second violin, followed by viola, first violin and cello.   Then towards the end of this movement of contrapuntal ingenuity, the theme appears in canon between first violin and cello.

Kaija Saariaho's second string quartet, "Terra Memoria", was commissioned for the Emerson Quartet to play at a Carnegie Hall premiere in June 2007.

Beethoven's opus 59 quartets, written in 1806, were composed for the Russian Count Rasumovsky.   This one is the longest of the three quartets and is generally regarded as the greatest, as well as being one of Beethoven's finest chamber works.

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Carole Petitdemange, violin.   Olivia Hughes, violin.   Caroline Donin, viola.   Joëlle Martinez, cello.
Formed in 2001 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

• Prize Winners Shostakovich String Quartet Competition in Moscow, 2004
• Paris FNAPEC Competition, (Prix Foundation Polignac) 2005.
• Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition 2006
• Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition 2007
• Prize Winners Paolo Borciani String Quartet Competition 2008

The French String Quartet ARDEO was first formed at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. In 2004.They obtained a scholarship from the SACYR Co to study with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid.

The Quartet has taken part in the master classes from Fine Arts, Talich, and Skampa Quartets. They have also studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with the members of the Hagen Quartet.   The Quartet have taken part in various festivals including Christmas at the Kremlin (Moscow) as soloists accompanied by the Kremlin Orchestra (cond. Misha Rachlevsky), Santander (Spain), Kuhmo (Finland), Musiques d’Eté d’Epernay, as well as the festivals of Comminges, Entrecasteaux and Gigean.

Quatuor Ardeo has played in prestigious places such as: Théâtre Mogador – Paris, Palacio de Festivales – Santander,
The Kremlin and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall – Moscow, Teatro Real, Auditorio Nacional – Madrid,
Les Dominicains – Haute Alsace, and the Kuhmo Arts-Centre Hall.

Quatuor Ardeo has been chosen to be part of the ¨Déclic¨ program, (AFAA, Radio France), supported by ¨Mécénat Musical Société Générale¨.