the Lydian String QUartet and the Goethe Institut announce Beethoven+!

The Lydian String Quartet, in a new 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.

All performances will take place at the Goethe Institut Boston, 170 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116. Information on how to buy tickets will be posted soon, but in the meanwhile, save the dates for this season:

1. Sunday 11.16.2025 @ 3pm / program info
BEETHOVEN Op. 18, No. 4
ANDERS HILLBORG (b. 1954) Kongsgaard Variations (2006)
BEETHOVEN Op. 127

2. Sunday 1.18.2026 @ 3pm / program info
BEETHOVEN Op. 18, No. 3
PETER RUZICKA (b. 1948) String Quartet No. 1: Introspezione. Dokumentation (1970)
BEETHOVEN Op. 135

3. Sunday 2.22.2026 @ 3pm / program info
BEETHOVEN Op. 95
HANS THOMALLA (b. 1975) Bagatellen (2015/16)
BEETHOVEN Op. 59, No. 3

4. Friday 5.29.2026 @ 7:30pm / program info
BEETHOVEN Op. 18 No. 2
REENA ISMAIL (b. 1983) Zeher [Poison] (2018)
BEETHOVEN Op. 132

We also look forward to playing J.S. Bach’s magnificent final experiment of instrumental composition, “The Art of Fugue” (BWV 1080), at the Viva Bach Peterborough festival in New Hampshire on October 25th at 4pm! We are looking forward to a new partnership with The Allen Center in West Newton, MA, and will be posting more information about that soon! And we are excited about taking a program of works by Schubert, Lembit Beecher, and Benjamin Britten to venues in Florida, New Jersey, and central Massachusetts!

Thank you for your support (and we’ll soon have a new link for where you can make a donation to the Lydian String Quartet). To ensure the work of the Lydian String Quartet continues, we are working to create a permanent endowment in support of the group as our own non-profit organization. Please know how grateful we are for your generosity, which will go a long way to preserving the legacy of the Lydians and help fund their continued activity whether in the metro Boston and New England music scene or in the greater music world.

Sincerely,

the Lydians: Clara, Julia, Mark, and Josh

Meet THE Lydian String Quartet

"[The Lydian Quartet is] one of the country's superior chamber groups. The program was challenging: Faure's E-minor Quartet, far too seldom played; Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' Quartet, often played and always welcome; and a new work, the Third Quartet by New York-based composer Lee Hyla. The setting was glorious, and so were the performances."
Alan Rich, Los Angeles Daily News

"The Lydians approached the works sensitively and with the full range of tone, from warmth to brashness, that the contemporary literature demands."
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

"The Lydian Quartet plays beautifully here, with a precision and involvement marking them as among the world's best quartets."
Kevin M. Williams, Chicago Sun-Times

Schedule

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Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe, on the Lydians' recording of Beethoven's late quartets: "These distinguished readings are full of subtlety, tonal refinement, and a sense of accumulated musical wisdom."

Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, on the Lydians' recording of music by Harold Shapero: "All three works receive assured and engrossing performances."

Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe, on the Lydians' recording of quartets by Charles Ives: "This is one of the great string quartet recordings, catching the Lydian Quartet in its recent prime in music it feels in the marrow of its bones."

Mike Brownell, All Music Guide, on the Lydians' recording of John Harbison's first four string quartets: "The Lydian String Quartet, often recognized for its successful coupling of traditional repertoire as well as new compositions, is perfectly suited for Harbison's works."

Galen H. Brown, sequenza21.com, on the Lydians' recording of Lee Hyla's String Quartet No. 4: "The disc starts with the Lydian String Quartet tearing into the opening notes of Hyla's String Quartet #4 (1999) as if it had insulted their mother."

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