The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 4

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. 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 4:

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, No. 2

Reena Esmail: Zeher (Poison) (2018)

Beethoven: String Qurtet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

Beethoven’s Op. 18 No. 2 is a brilliant demonstration of the young composer attempting to make a name for himself in the Vienna of Mozart and Haydn. In contrast, with its celestial Heiliger Dankgesang central slow movement, Op. 132 represents late Beethoven at his most passionate and profound, transcending traditional form and content. In this program, the Heileger Dankgesang, Beethoven’s “song of thanksgiving to God for recovery from an illness, in the lydian mode” is the antidote for Indian-American composer Reena Esmail’s Zeher (Poison), her personal response to “the feelings of frustration, defeat, and feeling of complete and literal voicelessness” experienced during an illness. Zeher was commissioned by Brooklyn Rider as a contemporary response to Beethoven’s Op. 132 for their album Healing Modes.

Tickets:

$30 General admission

$20 Seniors

$10 Students

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

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Goethe-Institut Boston, 170 Beacon Street, Boston, United States