Cairns-Gimuy is in a celebratory mood. There’s a buzz in the air. Not only is this tropical city celebrating its 150th anniversary, but it is also thrilled to host the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, arguably the nation’s most ambitious chamber music event.

Sam Wu, originally from Melbourne and now based in Los Angeles, is this year’s composer-in-residence. He penned a tribute to the festival’s new location, which premiered at this opening concert.

Scored for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano, Forest, Ocean, City conjured a glistening rainforest in the wet season, cloying humidity, a gently breathing sea and urbanity’s darker voice. A pattering figure in the piano’s upper register, executed by Piers Lane, one of the AFCM’s former artistic directors, evoked droplets of rain.

This world premiere was a talking point and offered rewarding listening on an otherwise conservative yet crowd-pleasing program designed to introduce this year’s artists. The locals especially appreciated Wu’s impressionistic homage to their home.

Australian Festival of Chamber Music: Cairns Crescendo. Photo © Paul Furse

Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525, is enshrined in our collective consciousness. String serenades in Mozart’s day often accompanied social occasions, and this one has been favoured for centuries. The overfamiliarity of the work can result in audiences switching off rather than actively attending to the music’s inventive design and rich tunefulness.

Delivering a compelling performance was a breeze for the ensemble of international and Australian string superstars on Cairns’ concert stage. The team included former Goldner Quartet members Dene Olding, Dimity Hall, Irina Morozova and Julian Smiles, together with cellists Charlotte Miles and Isang Enders, and double bassist Leon Bosch, who underpinned the Serenade with flair.

Presumably, the concert’s title was a nod to the North Queensland setting and the Serenade’s famous opening crescendo. This one had muscle. Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky led an inspired account graced by exquisite phrasing and deft brushstrokes, propelled by an irresistibly fizzing energy.

Libertango, arranged by Jeff Scott, explores how Piazzolla turned the tango on its head, shaping it with jazz and classical influences. Kara Thorpe (flute), Gayhun Lee (oboe), Dylan Roberts (bassoon) and Jude Austen Kaupe (French horn) inhabited the mewling melodies and teasing, curling rhythms with distinction. On stage, a dancing couple executed Latin American moves – a stunning visual.

Australian Festival of Chamber Music: Cairns Crescendo. Photo © Paul Furse

It got crowded on the piano stool when Piers Lane, Qian Wu and Kristian Chong delivered Czerny’s Variations on Mozart’s Arias, a frothy confection spliced with quotations from Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute for six hands. This was elegantly realised.

Dvořák’s nationalistic Serenade in D minor is beloved by woodwind players because its parts are so expertly tailored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, supported by three horns, cello and double bass. Balancing these instrumental combinations can be challenging, yet the ensemble largely succeeded here. The Moderato quasi marcia had an authentic marching pulse and precisely articulated dotted rhythms. Combining folksy zest with a dancerly lilt and sway, the Menuetto was appropriately Classical in style.

Conversational exchanges between sweet-toned oboes and spirited clarinets had an appealing vitality. Stefan Dohr, Ben Marks and Jude Austen Kaupe demonstrated remarkable skill through their subdued tone and ability to blend with either strings or woodwind without becoming overbearing.

The concert received enthusiastic applause.

For more information on the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, visit afcm.com.au