In 1998, the Schubert Ensemble of London initiated Chamber Music 2000, to commission works from leading composers which were suitable for playing by young and amateur musicians alike. That over 50 works have since been written (for the basic piano quartet or piano trio formats, sometimes with the addition of a second violin or double bass) and widely performed, says much about the relevance of the project.

Here, Joe Cutler’s Jiggadybox is a graphic depiction of the mysterious 18th-century Swiss contraption whose intricate mechanisms need to be handled with care, while Joseph Phibbs brings out the character of the instruments in three brief, tellingly contrasted movements – simple but intriguing. It’s interesting to compare Judith Bingham’s evocation of a Western Australian forest – all sombre hues and brooding gestures – with Peter Sculthorpe’s childhood recollection of Tasmanian village life, a halting unease briefly disrupting the benign musical material.

On the basis of its first movement, Victor Steinhardt’s Piano Quartet has an energetic lyricism recalling Lennox Berkeley and Rawsthorne. Graham Fitkin finds continuity in a teasing metamorphosis of ideas within a uniform texture and over a lilting, barcarolle-like rhythm. There’s an unease to offset the equable modality of Edward Dudley Hughes’ soundscape, an ambiguity made explicit in Michael Finnissy’s ironic medley of songs and hymns. Judging by this performance, the players have opted for the ‘go for broke’ tempo indication of Peter Copley’s rumbustious miniature. Geoffrey Poole’s unpredictable yet subtle take on Turkish wedding music brings the miscellany to a lively close.

If the remaining items are at all less distinctive, there’s no doubt that they fulfill the brief expertly and succinctly. Committed playing throughout from the Schubert Ensemble, heard to advantage in the warm acoustic of Champs Hill in Pulborough. Those who’ve already acquired the earlier volume need not hesitate, while the greater stylistic range of the new disc makes it an ideal starting-point to experience the rewards of Chamber Music 2000.