Plexus is a Melbourne-based ensemble dedicated to the commission and performance of new musical works for the quite particular formation of piano, violin and clarinet. Monica Curro (violin), Philip Arkinstall (clarinet) and Stefan Cassomenos (piano), all with their own formidable musical reputations, formed Plexus in 2014. Since then, they have been extremely active, commissioning works from over 100 composers and performing more than 50 world premieres in their quest to continue and complement the work of the Verdehr Trio, formed in 1972 with the same instrumentation and a similar mission, and based at Michigan State University.

Pulsations presented five world premieres by five Australian composers of works composed in 2016. Andrew Batt-Rawden’s Relentless City: Sydney was the only electro-acoustic work on the programme, augmenting the trio with electronics that incorporated tempi from the real-time heartbeats of the performers, kitted up for this piece with headphones and contact mics. Much of this work’s restless energy suggests surges of traffic, peaking, receding, intersecting and colliding with other lines of movement, which were in turn punctuated by live weather announcements. This richly layered texture is underpinned by an ominous rumbling thundery subtext that will be familiar to anyone who has experienced Sydney’s extraordinary...