Even if Webern and Lutoslawski are not to everyone’s taste, it was sad to see the Music Centre merely half full for what turned out to be a solid performance by a group of Polish musicians capable of making an important contribution to today’s music scene.

Fears of Webern were dispelled by a dreamy, languid, creamy cello solo by Michal Pepol in Langsamer Satz. His tone and movement were impressive.

The Lutoslawski: make of it what you will. Quarter tones, a hair-raising pizzicato section, and, from a musician’s standpoint, timing that can be described only as sheer hell are immense challenges. The Royal gave it form without forced fireworks and made it worthy of another outing. The reward for all this? Schubert’s String Quartet No 14 in D minor Death and the Maiden, composed shortly before the composer’s death and with variations based around his song of that name.

I think one of the endearing qualities of this quartet is its solidarity of ensemble playing: no fuss, nothing overtly forced, plenty of youthful exuberance; just the music as it was intended