What an international language classical music is. And the Aroha Quartet truly communicates this.

All four musicians play in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, but the first violinist Haihong Liu, and viola player Zhongxian Jin, were born in China. Second violinist Blythe Press and cellist Robert Ibell were born and trained in New Zealand. Yet their harmony and musical sensitivity are totally shared.

They presented an eclectic and cross-cultural programme. First was the classicism of Beethoven's early String Quartet in A Op 18 No 5. This immediately established the group's precision and accuracy of rhythm. The third movement, Andante Cantabile, was a set of variations on a theme and showed each musician playing solo, proving the democratic feeling and subtlety of the quartet.

The Russian Shostakovich's 1st String Quartet in C Op 49 followed. It was written in 1938 when Shostakovich's life was at risk from the Stalin authorities. Unlike much of the strident protest in many of his later quartets, this one is full of sad melancholy and almost romantic feeling. I was overcome by the emotional viola solo in the second movement and the muted fury of the Allegro.

After interval, Haihong Liu graciously introduced the two Chinese compositions.

The first, titled Spring Water Reflects the Moon, was delightfully full of sliding sensuous sounds of nature.

The second - Song of Emancipation - was a stirring celebration of the formation of the People's Republic of China in the 1940s. It was fast and festive.

These Chinese pieces set the mood perfectly for French composer Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F. The audience could not have been more satisfied with this debut concert of the Aroha Quartet, the last of the Chamber Music Series for 2014.