The Lydian String Quartet (violinists Julia Glenn and Clara Lyon, violist Mark Berger, and cellist Joshua Gordon), in collaboration with the Goethe Institute of Boston, will present the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven in a series of 8 concerts over two years, culminating with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in Spring 2027. Each concert will present two Beethoven quartets framing contemporary works that demonstrate Beethoven’s lasting influence and providing new context for listening and understanding these canonical works in today’s world.

Concert 1:

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4

Anders Hillborg: Kongsgaard Variations (2006)

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 127

Beethoven’s early, dramatic, C minor string quartet (Op. 18, No. 4) showcases the boldness of the young composer’s voice where one can hear the roots of tension between classical form and a very personal kind of emotional expression. The majestic Op. 127, the first of Beethoven’s late quartets, is a culmination of this development where the rigors of classical form are subsumed by an intimate lyricism and profound expression. At the heart of this late masterpiece is a sublime set of variations, an archaic form which Beethoven returned to throughout his life, now elevated to a spiritual dimension. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg brings a similar transcendent quality to his own set of variations for string quartet. Based on a fragment from the Arietta of Beethoven’s last piano sonata, the Kongsgaard Variations inhabit the same expressive world as Beethoven’s late-period variations with a distinctively contemporary voice.

Tickets:

$30 General admission

$20 Seniors

$10 Students

$250 Concert Sponsorship for patrons who wish to support future Lydian Quartet programming.

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The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 1