The Harvard Cultural Collaborative is excited to announce a special benefit concert performance by Boston’s acclaimed Lydian String Quartet. The concert program will include works by Mendelssohn, Harbison/Young, and Beethoven.
“A precision and involvement marking them as among the world’s best quartets” – Chicago Sun Times
“The Lydians approached the works sensitively and with the full range of tone, from warmth to brashness that the contemporary literature demands.” – The New York Times
The evening opens with a piece full of passion, charm and drama… young passion, that is, as Mendelssohn finished it just as he turned 20. The second movement is his beloved Canzonetta – one part minstrel music, the other the stuff of faeries! The second piece on the program is John Harbison’s nod to American movie music – an arrangement of Victor Young tunes, including “When I Fall in Love.” To end the program, one of Beethoven’s grand works from his middle period, op. 59#1 in F Major. From the opening cello solo, through the heart wrenching slow movement, and finally the virtuosic last movement, titled Theme Russe (inspired by Russian folk music), this quartet is a favorite (as they all are!).
PROGRAM
Andrea Segar and Judith Eissenberg, violins
Mark Berger, viola
Joshua Gordon, cello
String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12 (1829) Felix Mendelssohn
Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante
Canzonetta: Allegretto
Andante espressivo –
Molto allegro e vivace
“Thanks, Victor” for String Quartet Young – Harbison
(written for the Lydian String Quartet)
Songs: Stella by Starlight, Ghost of a Chance, Sweet Sue, When I Fall in Love
INTERMISSION
String Quartet in F major, Op. 59 #1 Ludwig van Beethoven
Allegro
Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
Adagio molto e mesto
Théme russe. Allegro
The Lydian String Quartet embraces the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity, and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making.
The LSQ has performed extensively throughout the United States at venues such as Jordan Hall in Boston; the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; Lincoln Center, Miller Theater, and Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Abroad, the Quartet has made appearances in France, England, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Armenia, and most recently in Taiwan.
Committed to expanding the chamber music repertoire across time and place, the quartet collaborates with musicians and composers around the world. In addition to performing the traditional string quartet repertoire, the Lyds have commissioned many new works and host a biennial composition prize. The Lydian String Quartet has been on the faculty of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts since its founding in 1980.
Saturday, March 2, 2019 – 7:00pm
Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church
9 Ayer Road
Harvard MA
Suggested Donation: $20
Proceeds from this event will benefit the Harvard Cultural Collaborative