As the gallery of residence of the once-controversial painting Blue Poles by the American artist Jackson Pollock, it was only fitting that a new string quartet inspired by the painting be performed in the National Gallery of Australia.

Prior to the performances we were shown a short documentary film on Jackson Pollock, which looked at Blue Poles and how it has changed Australia.

The concert then began with Poles II, composed and performed by Matthew Doyle on his didgeridoo. This work had Doyle making a rapid rhythmic tapping on his instrument as he played continuously for many minutes, in an amazing feat of circular breathing.

Next came an ethereal work by the American composer Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953). Seeger was described as revolutionary and ultramodern, and she also worked with Béla Bartók. Her Andante for Strings is an arrangement of the third movement from her String Quartet, entitled 1931.

Performing this work was a group who take their name from the extraordinary Australian violinist Alma Moodie. They are a relatively new string quartet featuring four of Australia’s finest younger string players, violinists Kristian Winther and Anna Da Silva Chen, violist Alexina Hawkins and cellist Thomas Marlin.