The Lydian String Quartet provided a delightful afternoon of free music in the cozy Rapaporte Treasure Hall Wednesday, with their performance of Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden. The quartet was originally scheduled to play that composer's Quintet in C Major with guest cellist Andrew Mark, who was absent because of illness. Because of its charming yet terrifying quality, Death and the Maiden is one of the quartet's favorite pieces. As Prof. Daniel Stepner (MUS), the first violinist, described at the beginning of the concert, people love it in the same way others enjoy The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Indeed, the eeriness contributed to the music's appeal. Based on a German poem, the music of Death and the Maiden spoke louder than the actual words.

The allegro movement began very strong and agitated. With the unceasing, empowering rhythm, a sad lyrical melody arose. The extreme and frequent diminuendos and crescendos contributed to the pressing motion of the movement.

The andante con moto movement showed off the beautiful sounds of the Lydians. Beginning with synchronized rhythms and intricate harmonies, the movement soon found the musicians' sounds melting into one another, creating a rich, beautiful tone that resonated in the hall. In one particularly moving part, a solo violin followed by a solo cello rose above an undulating texture of the other instruments, even bringing tears to the eyes of one audience member.

Where the allegro movement sang, the scherzo, allegro-molto movement danced. It possessed the same powerful energy as the first movement, carrying one melody throughout. The final presto movement followed a sonata-rondo and took on a much different tone than the others. With a repeating, heroic melody, it was joyous despite its minor key, like the rest of the piece

The last two minutes of the piece were the real crowd pleaser. With their bows thrashing in the air and heads buried close to their instruments, the musicians were completely absorbed into the exhilarating accelerando that doubled the tempo of the original melody, and ended the piece with an explosive finish. As Stepner explained in his introductory notes, the fourth movement is "a real horse race."

Even with the change in program, most of the audience was pleased with the substitution. It was a pleasure to see the Lydians perform once again. The performance was especially comforting because it showed their joyous camaraderie in sharing the music.

The Lydian String Quartet will perform Schubert's Quintet once more on Mar. 11, and will play their final concert of the season Apr. 5.