Music / French Accents, CSO Wind Quartet, Canberra Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series. Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia, September 6. Reviewed by ALANNA MACLEAN

Just when you have forgotten that the Canberra Symphony Orchestra contains outstanding individual players, along comes a lilting little concert like this one.

With Edward Neeman on the piano, the brisk program for the CSO Wind Quartet, complete with the occasional witty remark,  beautifully showcased  individual and small group talents within the larger orchestra. These included Frank Giraldo (oboe) Alan Vivian (clarinet) Rob Johnson (French horn) and Ben Hoadley (bassoon). Not a string in sight (unless you count the inside of the piano).

The programme was designed to highlight elements of some twentieth century French composing with a swing to Mozart in the last item (Quintet in E flat major for piano and winds K452) to show his interest in displaying the capabilities of wind instruments as well as his openness to French influences.

The other three items took the music into the twentieth century. Two were post World War 1.  Francis Poulenc’s shifting moods in the occasionally mournful Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon were clearly delineated. Henri Tomasi’s Concert champêtre for oboe, clarinet and bassoon cleverly evoked the 18th century pastoral tradition without actually becoming an 18th century piece.

And Neeman gave Germaine Tailleferre’s Romance for Piano (1913) a wonderful lift and a melancholy that made the style of this pioneering woman composer stand out.

The assurance of a group of mature players made for an insightful journey through music with a complex set of influences.

A perfect way to spend an hour so on a spring afternoon.

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