It’s a curious contradiction that the most emotionally exhilarating performances often come from the players who are most at ease. Unhindered by even the slightest technical weakness, the music produced is boundless in its expressive potential and attention to detail. It’s a thrill to hear just one musician such as this, but the Tinalley String Quartet boasts four players of this rare calibre, so it’s little wonder that their playing is damn-near-perfect.

For the first programme of their 2016 season, a loose theme exploring the natural order of life leading to the spiritual unknown of death guided the choice of repertoire. Opening with Ravel’s capricious quartet in F Major, with its unpredictable shifts of emotional whimsy, the narrative implication was subtle – perhaps a nod to the untameable character of nature – but it hardly mattered given the extraordinary finesse offered in this account.

The most immediately striking quality of this group’s playing is its faultless balance. The Tinalley Quartet share a deeply intuitive connection that negates the need for physical theatrics. Instead of wide-eyed glances and grandiose tell-tale nods, there was a restrained yet responsive level of communication with a nimble control, ideal for the acute changes of personality that...