The Scharoun Ensemble honours Hans Scharoun, architect of the celebrated Philharmonie concert hall, home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, of which the ensemble's members are principals. In the Bath Mozartfest's opening concert, the discipline and fluency of their playing could hardly have been bettered, yet the comparative lack of interaction among the strings rather neutralised its impact.

Hornist Stefan de Leval Jezierski enlivened Mozart's Horn Quintet, K407, with virtuosity and wit. By contrast, in Weber's Clarinet Quintet Op 34, Alexander Bader coolly delivered the pyrotechnics, reserving his greatest feeling for the slow fantasia.

If these pieces seemed slightly one-sided, Schubert's Octet was altogether more engaging. Individuals revelled in the endlessly inventive melodies, and the ensemble underlined the work's expressive harmonies and symphonic character, reasserting its central place in the chamber repertoire.

Assertiveness is central to the Jerusalem Quartet's style. It did not suit Mozart's String Quartet in B flat, K458, which began their morning recital, but proved ideal for Smetana's first quartet, From My Life. From the opening of the arresting viola declaration, their delivery laid bare the work's guts and emotion in a way that seemed to point towards Smetana's compatriot, Leoš Janáˇcekek. But for sheer artistry, it was the performance of Martin Fröst in Brahms' Clarinet Quintet that was outstanding. His silken sound inspired the four string players to far more mellow tone-colours, ensuring an intimacy to match the insight of this interpretation.