Composer Lachlan Skipworth commands attention the moment he walks in the door, and never has this been truer than at his recent performance at Grove Classics Chamber Music series in Perth.

The packed audience was treated to the West Australian premiere of his recent work The Eternal (2016), which was written specifically with clarinet virtuoso – and Skipworth’s good friend – Ashley William Smith, in mind. With the composer conducting his own work alongside the flamboyance of Smith’s skill and talent, the team triumphed with the ambience of the space playing to their strength and supported by Akiko Miyazawa and Kate Sullivan on violins, Ben Caddy on viola and Jon Tooby on cello.

Skipworth describes his composition as a “dystopian response to our current time”, and the haunting introduction in the strings created a foundation for Smith to build upon throughout the emotive and thought-provoking piece.

The performance of Skipworth’s The Eternal was contrasted by the two other pieces on the programme. Haydn’s String Quartet in D (The Lark) opened the evening with Miyazawa given license to soar as first violin. As Haydn intended, the first violinist’s interpretation saw her assuming a prominent and authoritative position. Closing the evening, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet,...