The Lyris Quartet presents a world premiere performance of "Intimate Letters" on Oct. 8. / Image courtesy of the artists
The Lyris Quartet will perform four world premieres by Billy Childs, Bruce Broughton, Kurt Rohde and Peter Knell alongside the work that inspired them — Leoš Janáček’s Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters” — at a concert for the enterprising contemporary music series Jacaranda: Music at the Edge at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m.
The new works were commissioned by the Lyris Quartet for the ensemble’s new album, Intimate Letters (out today on ARS), named for the Janáček quartet that anchors both the recording and the evening’s concerts. Often referred to as his “manifesto on love,” “Intimate Letters” was inspired by the Czech composer’s near-obsessive devotion to his longtime muse Kamila Stosslova (a married woman 38 years his junior) to whom he wrote more than 700 love letters over 11 years.
The Lyris Quartet — Alyssa Park (violin), Shalini Vijayan (violin), Luke Maurer (Viola) and Timothy Loo (cello) — are known as faithful champions of new music and have built a reputation as one of the most exciting ensembles to emerge from the LA music scene in the past decade. A regular fixture on multiple chamber music series, the Lyris is equally at home with the warhorses of the string quartet repertoire and the most cutting-edge, experimental music of the present day. They are the founding resident ensemble of the Hear Now Music Festival, which focuses on the music of living Los Angeles composers, and this year will mark their fifth season as the resident ensemble of the critically acclaimed series Jacaranda: Music at the Edge.
First Presbyterian of Santa Monica, 1220 Second St., Santa Monica. Concert RSVP, FREE | VIP after-party ticket with CD $40 in advance, $50 at the door. Tickets and information: https://www.jacarandamusic.org/special-events.