Eklipse, an enigmatic classical crossover string quartet, recast selections from pop, alternative, and film scores as richly orchestrated interpretations that retain the spirit of every source track. The ensemble originated in 2012 when its members first encountered one another at a festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, and consists of four German musicians: violinists Miss E. and Scarlett, cellist Helena, and viola player Viola. Their first full-length release, A Night in Strings, arrived in 2013 and featured reinterpretations of alternative material by Linkin Park and Depeche Mode, pop successes by Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, plus enduring pieces from David Bowie and Kate Bush. The quartet subsequently joined Nightwish on tour, with further backing supplied by Kamelot and the Mission. On the follow-up album Electric Air they broadened their palette to encompass material by Adele, Massive Attack, Muse, Empire of the Sun, the Clash, the Eurythmics, Florence + the Machine, and the dance hit “Titanium” by Sia and David Guetta. Their third project, Liberte, Egalite, Sensualite, took its thematic cue from France and included Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” the 1965 France Gall/Serge Gainsbourg chart-topper “Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son,” Les Rita Mitsouko’s ’80s single “Marcia Baila,” and the 2001 Noir Désir/Manu Chao song “Le Vent Nous Portera.” Late in 2016 the group issued its own rendition of the perennial “Carol of the Bells.”
