The spotlight was on the musicians of wind quintet Arcadia Winds – the first ensemble to go through Musica Viva’s Futuremakers programme – in the third concert of the Musica Viva Festival. And while the first two concerts of the Festival focused on a few larger works, this programme was more eclectic, spanning a variety of styles and instrumental line-ups.

Arcadia Winds’ flute player Kiran Phatak began proceedings with Sydney Symphony Orchestra cellist Rowena Macneish and pianist Amir Farid, performing Bohuslav Martinů’s Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano. Phatak’s sound was bright and resonant, floating above the driving cello and piano in the first movement. Farid’s darkly melancholy piano opened the Adagio before an ominous flute solo – underscored by pizzicato cello – became a haunting, interweaving duet between Phatak and Macneish. While technically solid as a rock, more humour and joy could have been drawn from the bouncing Allegretto scherzando, but this was nonetheless a fine performance that brought out the clean beauty of Martinů’s writing.

The remainder of Arcadia Winds joined Phatak on stage for György Liget’s Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet, an intensely rhythmic work drawing on Romanian folk music. The ensemble hit the ground running in the...