That the 21st century seems not only to have liberated cello duos but unleashed them is amply demonstrated by VC2, the Canadian duo of Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt, in a virtuoso recital of seven pieces, four of them commissions, that stretch the medium in a myriad of ways.

Chris Paul Harman’s Suite for Two Cellos leads the way. Modelled on Bach’s G major Cello Suite, its six movements begin with grand chaotic gestures, followed by a march out of The Soldier’s Tale, mewing and querulous gestures suggesting Bartók’s 44 Duos, and haunting chords that cry out for a third voice. Harman finishes with a 90-second perpetuum mobile that should be essential for all cello duos.

Jocelyn Morlock’s The Violet Hour is inspired by the moment before sunrise. The music feels out along intertwining tendrils, interrupted abruptly by pizzicatos and scrapings. Vincent Ho’s Heist 2 rides Latin rhythms into the stratosphere, while Laura Sgroi’s cathartic Discord is a mournful lament that segues into positive waves of energy.

The programme closes with Youell Domenico’s Duet, a soulful étude, Kelly-Marie Murphy’s audacious Final Glimpse, which encompasses snippets from the broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster, heartbeats and a magical rustling effect, and the title-track, Kati Agócs’s I and Thou. This features quiet trills, a sad graceful dance and a hint of Britten’s Frank Bridge Variations. The cellists produce all sorts of wonderful sounds in pursuit of Agócs’s goal of ‘fusing the instruments into a single meta-cello’.