“Portraits of my favourite poets used to hang on the wall beside my desk in my study. One day, I realised that many of them had either died by suicide or had been drawn toward self-destruction — Pushkin, for example, repeatedly sought out duels. How could it be that these extraordinarily subtle souls, who have given so much beauty and joy to others through their literary works, could despair so deeply of their own lives?

Suicide remains a taboo subject in our society. Yet more people die by suicide every day than by war or many diseases. In my search for understanding, I came across the diaries of Sylvia Plath, who took her own life at the age of thirty, at the height of her poetic career. I wrote my String Quartet No. 8, Sylvia’s Diary, in honour of Sylvia Plath.”

Lera Auerbach

String Quartet No. 8 “Sylvia’s Diary” follows String Quartet No. 7 “Désir” in Auerbach’s numbered quartet cycle. The progression moves from desire toward the written trace of inner life: a diary, a page, an unfinished thought, a voice addressing emptiness.

Diary. A chamber form built from private utterance and fragmentary confession.

Sylvia Plath. Written in honour of the poet and her diaries.

Ying Quartet. First performed in Rochester by the Ying Quartet.