ALISON CROOSE King's Lynn Town Hall (King's Lynn Festival)

ALISON CROOSE

King's Lynn Town Hall (King's Lynn Festival)

The first of five coffee concerts was a shining example of the ethos of the series, which is to provide a festival platform for rising stars of the classical music world.

The quartet teamed up within a week of beginning their studies at the Royal Academy of Music eight years ago.

They all graduated with first class honours in 2002 and with their friendship and working relationship as strong as ever their burgeoning career has taken off.

Their first CD was released yesterday but has been at the top of the classical pre-release charts for a fortnight.

So their timely visit to Lynn Festival was a chance to witness their splendid music-making. The quartet delighted the audience with their dynamic yet sensitive performance of Haydn's Quartet, Sunrise, and Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E flat major.

On Sunday they were equally impressive at Park House Hotel, Sandringham, when they played two works by Schubert - Quartettsatz and Death and the Maiden. The sell-out audience was clearly delighted.