S. Bach, William Barton and the Brodsky Quartet. All three begin with a ‘B’ but they are hardly B-players. Sunday night’s concert was a vindication of the musicians’ talent, and a historic occasion. It was the first time Barton – the multitalented First Nations didgeridoo player, vocalist and composer – and the British string quartet had performed together, and the belated world première of a powerful work by Andrew Ford.

The Brodsky Quartet and William Barton, Canberra International Music Festival. Photo © Peter Hislop

The Brodskys mark their 50th anniversary this year – two of the original musicians are still with the group – and their playing was as polished and impeccable as one would expect. Barton is an astonishing performer; playing the didgeridoo, his breath control is breathtaking.

The Brodskys began, beguilingly, with Bach: his Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 (1720), originally a solo piece, arranged for the quartet by the Brodskys’ violinist, Paul Cassidy. Bach would have delighted in the ingenious counterpoint, his original line multiplied by four. Cerebral, dignified but warm, sweetly melancholy, it was a contemplative start to the evening, and...