Jack Liebeck (violin), Jamie Walton (cello) and Charles Owen (piano) presented a thou-ghtfully devised programme of chamber music.

In Beethoven's Piano Trio in G, Op.1, No.2 the music acquired a whimsical quality as the performers responded to each other during the Allegro vivace. The Scherzo: Allegro was played lightheartedly, and the Finale: Presto, an ingenious mix and match of several tunes being tossed from one player to another, were accomplished with imagination, in keeping with the composer, who like today's performers, was a young man at the time of composition.

Sonata for Cello and Piano by Frank Bridge allowed the audience to relish the glorious tones of Jamie's cello. It was a joy to hear Bridge's intense elegiac phrases soaring, as well as exquisite high notes held long and soft, or very low notes murmuring quietly. The flowing rhapsodic melodies were very dramatic too, as played by Charles. This was an excellent duo.

Ravel's Piano Trio opened stunningly as Jack led melodiously in Tres Modere. Soon the three musicians joined forces to reach a massive fury, which subsided into amorphous French sounding harmonies. The very highly pitched violin and cello harmonies were tuned perfectly.

A syncopated piano, string plucking and snappy tunes in Pantoum - Vif, a finely thought thorough development of the Ground Bass in Passa caille - Tres Large, and Final - Anime performed with passion and showy extrovert virtuosity concluded a most enjoyable concert.

One criticism - sometimes the balance of the trio had been overpowered by the piano; the piano lid half closed might correct this.

Jill Hopkins