Howard Skempton and Michael Chant first gave a joint concert of their work 50 years ago, on 29 April 1969, in Ealing Town Hall. Since then, each has written three string quartets, and it seemed appropriate to mark the 50th anniversary by celebrating with a joint concert.

While political and philosophical ideas lie behind Chant’s works, in his quartets Howard Skempton looks back to the English idea of fantasia, allowing canon to lead him down three very different, but illuminating, paths.