“Playing to a City Recital Hall audience packed out on two of its three tiers, charismatic Omega regular violinist Véronique Serret took solo honours in that work as well as New York composer Jessie Montgomery’s new piece, Concerto Grosso, which Omega co-commissioned with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The group performed another of her works, Strum, in their Ecstatic Dancestour last year and that left many of the audience wanting to hear more of the 42-year-old composer’s works. Inspired by folk music, that piece got its title from the repeated pizzicato strumming effects of the various strings and was full of toe-tapping rhythms and catchy melodies, reminding this listener of early Kronos world music records.

The two-movement new work, as its name suggests, is inspired by the Baroque device of pitting solo instruments against an orchestral backdrop. The soloists are called on to improvise and Serret suits this role perfectly as she has shown herself to be one of our most versatile violinists, equally at home in classical, contemporary, avant-garde and rock genres.

Montgomery leaves it to the soloists to “choose your own adventure” with spontaneity “that can either blend or add new textures”.

This is positive and invigorating tonal music, occasionally dissonant and mysterious, and with a soundscape that alternates between lushness and urgency.”