ENSEMBLE 10/10 must, surely, be one of the most significant new arrivals on the Liverpool music scene.
Who else, for instance, would have contemplated - even dared - to stage a concert of works by Slavonic composers? Where else might we have been given the chance to hear music by Firsova, Mosolov, Shchetynsky and Auerbach?
Where else would it be possible to hear early Prokofiev, amongst others?
The work of this dedicated band of players - all part of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - should be richly rewarded.
This weekend's concert was a particular success, ably conducted by Matthew Coorey, assistant conductor of the RLPO. It exhibited a wide range of musical and poetic skills and introduced audiences to possibly new but certainly unexplored repertoire.
In this event, there was wit and pathos, fun and introspection. It brought many emotions to the fore. It tried, successfully it seems, to explode myths about contemporary performance.
The finale was one of those great showpieces: the Prokofiev Quintet.
It is, in many ways, a bitter-sweet piece, contrasting moments of repose with agitated, almost acidic, passages. Elena Firsova's Retrospect was a drawn out, gentle piece which became more animated as it progressed. The Mosolov piece - Four Newspaper Announcements - was especially entertaining. Add to that the hugely entertaining Polyphonic Tango of Schnittke and quite extraordinary works by Lera Auerbach and this was a spectacular event. The Auerbach Trio was written when she was aged 19 and is a high-powered piece.
