Overview
Strings of Heritage: Mozart, Stanford and the Spirit of Ireland
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music comes to the BAC! Join Danny Jin (violin), Matous Michel (violin), Danny Lai (viola) and Karen Basrak (cello) for an afternoon that bridges classical brilliance and Celtic soul.
The program opens with Mozart’s String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K.421, one of his most expressive and dramatic chamber works. Written as part of his “Haydn” quartets, it moves between storm and serenity, revealing Mozart’s gift for emotional storytelling through perfect form —characterized by Arnold Schoenberg as “prose-like.”
The focus then turns to Charles Stanford, whose music fuses the lyricism of Irish folk song with the elegance of late Romantic style. In his Six Irish Folk Songs, Stanford’s imaginative storytelling shines, portraying emotions from seething vengeance to tender love. His String Quartet No. 1 in G major, Op. 44 dazzles with rich textures and intertwining themes blending classical elegance with Stanford’s own romantic voice.
The afternoon concludes with a beloved encore, “Danny Boy,” a timeless melody that echoes the program’s central theme: the power of music to carry emotion, memory and cultural identity across centuries.
This concert is presented by the Beverly Arts Center.
Note location: 2407 West 111th Street, Chicago, IL