Destruction and Rebirth: Barber and Beethoven

In 1950, Boston chose the West End for demolition under Title I of the Housing Act of 1949, despite the neighborhood exceeding the standards for demolition. In 1958, fifty-four acres of the neighborhood were seized and destroyed; fifty streets and over eight hundred residential buildings were razed, forcing 12,500 people to leave their homes.

Join us for an artistically sublime experience as we project photographic images from the West End Museum’s Edgell and Frani Collections (which chronicle life before, during, and after urban renewal) alongside a live performance of two of classical music’s most emotive string quartets, both possessing tonal qualities that convey the ideas of transformation and explore the complex social dynamics that underpin both the destruction and rebirth of the West End neighborhood.

Samuel Barber, String Quartet in B minor, op. 11

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet in C minor, opus 18, no. 4