Christian Blackshaw & Soloists Of The Berliner Philharmoniker

It was a concert of three parts at the Queen’s Hall on Saturday morning. Featuring pianist Christian Blackshaw with soloists from the Berlin Philharmonic, the Piano Quartet No 1 in G minor by Mozart did not make for a strong start.

As if the four men performing were still to find their niche, they opted for a matter-of-fact muscular approach that didn’t integrate them together as a united group, with the piano in particular feeling out on a limb.

Not so in Schubert’s A major Piano Quintet, the Trout.

Adding the underpinning of Matthew Mcdonald on double bass, the ensemble drew closer together, while at the same time having more excitement, vitality and fun in passing around the cheerful tunes.

Balance wasn’t entirely spot on in terms of matching tone between the Berlin Phil’s leader, Noah Bendixbalgley and the softertoned principal viola Máté Szücs, or in projection, with Martin Löhr’s lyrical cello periodically smothered.

With the piano so much more of the overall texture, Blackshaw’s playing was a joy, particularly in the set of six variations on the famous Trout theme. In between came Schubert’s A minor Piano Sonata D784, in an enigmatic and absorbed performance from Blackshaw.