WE audiences feel very important when we hear a world premiere performance, especially in the presence of the dedicatee, or when a composer is perhaps right there in the next seat. The Brew Guitar Duo cooked up such a – well – brew at its 10th anniversary concert.

Brewster Bradley Kunda’s “Sonata for Guitar”, dedicated to his mentor, Timothy Kain, who was in the Hall, received its first airing, played brilliantly by the composer. In three movements, Kunda’s piece is highly intellectual; exploring every corner and nuance of the instrument and keeping the audience spellbound. The middle movement – a lyrical theme and four variations – was especially enthralling as much for the musicality of its variations as its tonalities.

Matthew Withers played a solo, too – “Phrases, Fragments, Fading Lines” is a work he commissioned from Sam Smith, who certainly would have enjoyed Withers’ marvellous treatment of it. It is a beguiling, mysterious and gentle work, exploring sounds perhaps unexpected from a guitar and demanding extraordinary technique and control. Matt Withers well and truly met that challenge.

There were duets, including “Landscape” by Queensland composer, Robert Davidson, and “Songs from the Forest” by Nigel Westlake. Another Kunda composition, “French Impressions”, two pieces inspired by art exhibited by the National Gallery, showed just what an extraordinary future he has in music composition and performance.

The closers were a couple of wonderful old favourites from Spain, finishing a concert of impeccable and highly sensitive playing by two artists who clearly love what they do.