ON the grounds that Papa Haydn founded the string quartet, it has long been fashionable for groups to kick off with one of his works. Yet they are not aperitifs. The nerves and adrenalin at the start of an evening are not necessarily conducive to stylish Haydn. The Dutilleux and Schumann quartets that followed were much more penetrating.

The Castalians certainly dug into that old Haydn chestnut, the Emperor (Op 76 No 3), with missionary gusto. Unanimity was never in question, but apart from the title variations, which were nicely measured, it was deliberate, even effortful, as if we needed convincing of its value. The minuet was forceful rather than balletic and the finale an exercise in dazzlement.

Dutilleux took three years to compose his finest piece of chamber music, Ainsi La Nuit, his only string quartet. Its narrative is carefully calibrated. So too was the Castalians’ response. They clearly knew their way around it and remained extremely focused, especially in their tautly accented pizzicatos. Extreme contrasts, notably in Miroir d’Espace, were smoothly negotiated, and a satisfying sense of spaciousness developed in the latter stages.

The programme note for Schumann’s A major Quartet (Op 41 No 3) was headed by movement-markings for something quite different. The music survived. The restless palpitations of the opening Allegro and the ensuing no-holds-barred fugato were enthralling. The finale’s relaxed wit spilled over into the Haydn encore, which showed what might have been earlier.