Fresh from finishing its study of the Viennese masters, the Lydian String Quartet embarks this spring on a second five-year concert series, "Around the World in a String Quartet." Never a group to think small, the quartet will travel far beyond the works of European composers, extending its bows toward a number of traditions not often associated with chamber music in its most ubiquitous form.Plucking from its repertoire music stretching from South America to Asia and many other parts of the world, the Lydians expect to conduct monumental research for their study, they said in an interview with the Justice, and are currently practicing for their first two concerts of the season. The first, on Saturday, Feb. 3, showcases "The Village Street Quartet," composed by the Cuban-born jazz musician Paquito D'Rivera. In a recent rehearsal, the quartet used its string instruments to simulate a swift, Latin-style percussion, and said it hopes to expand audience members' horizons.

Prof. Yu-Hui Chang '01 (MUS), the newest member of the music faculty, will premiere her piece "Shadow Chase" at that same concert. Prof. Daniel Stepner (MUS), who plays violin for the group, describes Chang's music as "Chinese traditional instruments immersed in Western classical techniques." The Lydians will conclude the performance with Ludwig van Beethoven's "Quartet in C minor."

"The physical motion varies in all three pieces. It is dance-like in various places, and with D'Rivera's piece you have a sense of walking around New York," said Prof. Joshua Gordon (MUS), the group's cellist, adding that is easy to "get into the motion that inhabits each piece at any given moment."

Members of the group said that by including Beethoven, they hope to emphasize the role his music plays in musical traditions outside the European pantheon, as well as juxtapose their standard repertoire with the exotic.

Prof. Judith Eissenberg (MUS), the quartet's other violinist, said she hopes the performance will pose questions relating to how audiences interpret a performance: Does the interpretation depend on experiences and predilections? And how do those factors affect an audience member's reaction to a piece?

"Shared creative energy is one of the best antidotes to the tension. The excitement of creating together can help us get over some of our hurdles," Eissenberg said. "We hope to create a campus culture where people are listening. Art provides a safe space for people to be invited to hear each other.