{TABLE} Quartet in F K590.......................Mozart Quartet (1980)..........................Beckett Quintet in E flat K.614.................Mozart {/TABLE} MOZART'S last quartet and quintet are not that composer's finest contributions to those genres. Both pieces need persuasive performance and that is what they got in the Vanbrugh String Quartet's concert at the National Concert Hall on Sunday afternoon. It was the last in the Vanbrugh's series built around the Mozart quintets, in which the second viola part was taken by Constant in Zanidache.

Mozart's Quartet in F, K.590, has that polished technique and fluency of execution which are characteristic of much of his late music. It tempts players into emphasising superficial aspects via an over-refined style of playing, as if this were high-grade rococo music. So it was good to hear the Vanbrugh Quartet play it instead with a vigour which emphasised its lively discourse between the players.

Each concert in this series has included a quartet by an Irish composer and for this concert it was the String Quartet No 1 by Walter Beckett, who was born in 1914 and died earlier this year. This is a reflective piece, stronger on craftsmanship than on either individuality of idea or, strength of form. It was finished in 1980 but tends to invite comparisons with much earlier composers, including Ravel and Vaughan Williams. However, its idiomatic writing has its rewards and these helped produce a warm-hearted performance.

Mozart's final quintet, in E flat K. 614, was played with a strength of tone and shape which brought out its strongest features. I have noticed before that some of the Vanbrugh's richest performances have been when they join with other players. Certainly that has been true of their quintet playing with Constant in Zanidache during this series. Sunday's performance of K. 614 made a strong end to a rewarding series.