Selby & Friends

PERFORMING works from three composers' early careers, Selby & Friends host two guest artists during this year's fourth national subscription series and the results are as professional as ever. Replacing Emma-Jane Murphy, cellist Julian Smiles from the Goldner String Quartet contributed a solid presence in Beethoven's Op. 11 Trio, along with clarinettist Catherine McCorkill, who never puts a foot wrong.

In Beethoven's Op. 11 the first two movements suffer from a finale of flashy variations, here mainly displaying pianist Kathryn Selby's virtuosic forthrightness, but they gave the night's best examples of well-balanced and deftly phrased ensemble work. The 19-year-old Max Bruch's Op. 5 Piano Trio brought on the regular S&F violinist, Niki Vasilakis, to join Selby and Smiles in a rarity of hefty charm, loaded with melodic content and a dynamic aggression that clearly energised them.

All musicians came together for Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, now enjoying regular recent airings after several decades of neglect. Although an intriguing artifact, the work speaks with an individual and religiously committed voice that asks for more than merely getting the notes right; this ad hoc yet well-attuned ensemble displayed a dedication that at times came close to ideal. Catherine McCorkill's solo, Abime des oiseaux made a considerable impact with its careful control of material, and both the Louange movements' stately melodic arches from Vasilakis and Smiles substantiated the score's irresistible lyrical impulse.