Hove-born composer Peter Copley seemed delighted with the superb performance of his String Quartet Number 2 by players from the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra.

The fine acoustic qualities of the Brighton Unitarian Church helped highlight the high tone and vigour of a piece that proved as challenging for the audience as for the musicians, though always holding the attention with its restless energy.

The first movement at times resembled glass shards from crystal cut chords. Ani Batikian eked melodic sweetness out of the second movement, with Roland Roberts climbing sonic peaks in the high register. There were no idle hands in the third movement for the twisted rhythms and sharp punctuation, with racing cello from the excellent Peter Adams. The power chords faded superbly into a peaceful finish before a whirlwind fourth movement.

The players, who included Ian Anderson on viola, extracted every ounce of vitality and grace from Mozart’s hugely uplifting Oboe Quartet in F Major. Oboe player Alun Darbyshire combined elegance with technical ability chasing top Fs liberally sprinkled in the final movement.

The irresistible melodies of Schubert’s Marche Militaire and Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile were beautifully highlighted with the cello adding a darker undertow at times.