The Vermeer Quartet carry the name of an artist whose command of the translucent effects of light is legendary.

True to the spirit of the Dutch master, the quartet illuminated three diverse scores in dazzling relief at the Sage Gateshead.

The programme, marking a fitting end of the season for the Newcastle International Chamber Music Series, opened with a comfortable rendition of Mozart's String Quartet in D - perhaps too comfortable.

The notes were meticulously delivered and the tones warm, but one got the sense they were going through the motions of warming up, without pushing the envelope.

Shostakovich's String Quartet 10 opened in a similar vein, but when they got to the second movement it was as though they had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Galvanised by the visceral energy of the music they delivered the brutal chords with gusto and unmistakable flair.

The swirling lines of the adagio were conveyed with heartfelt intensity. By the second half the players were brimming with energy and delivered a fine account of Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No 3.

Shmuel Ashkenasi extracted the richest of tones from his violin, while cellist Marc Johnson rose to celestial heights in the final prayer for the dead. The quartet drove the finale, with its Russian folk music, to a rousing conclusion.

Published: 31/03/2006