I'm not usually one for writing reviews, but I was so impressed by this wonderful concert that I felt I had to – not to mention the fact that I had forgotten to ask anyone else. Not all attempts to combine the sound of a clarinet with that of a string quartet are successful. The clarinet can sound to be a stranger to the strings' familiar party, providing more contrast than integration. But not so with Jonathan Leibovitz and the Quatuor Agate. In the Brahms Quintet in particular Leibovitz produced an almost miraculous range of quiet timbres, engineered to slot perfectly into the beautiful sounds coming from the strings, emerging just sufficiently for a melody to be attended to but never dominating. There was of course power and presence when they were needed but only then. Such playing made one aware of what a superbly well-written work the Brahms Quintet is. Perhaps even Benjamin Britten, noted for his disdain of Brahms, might have recognised this had he been here. Certainly the audience were held rapt, treasuring the memory of the last bars until the players finally stood. Have we heard Brahms better performed?

The Korngold 1945 third quartet in the first half of the concert was new to almost all of us, and what a treat it was. The Agate's versatility and masterful expertise captured with conviction its huge range of different styles and moods. Outstanding for me was the ensemble's clarity and nimbleness in the cheeky Scherzo, particularly the relentless arpeggiated accompaniment, so well articulated on Raphaël Pagnon's viola.