The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) is probably the closest thing we have in Singapore to a full musical conservatory. One might be inclined to think that their biennial Arts Festival would be fraught with exciting (if not unmissable) performances and exhibitions by some of the best of local, albeit young, talents.

One might also think of it as an appetite-whetting hors d'oeurve to the main course of the cosmopolitan (and significantly larger-scale) Singapore Arts Festival. But make no mistake, in any city that might regard itself as a bastion of culture, there must always be a place for artists of all manner, from the professional symphonies and theatre companies, to student and amateur groups.

Audiences, of course, are notoriously biased towards the more expensive and hyped-up events, so it did come as scant (but not too much) surprise when the auditorium, on the night, was less than filled - even with the T'ang Quartet as main draw. (But filling a 883-seater like the Victoria Concert Hall with a chamber programme would be an amazing feat indeed, considering that the Emerson Quartet couldn't do it when they performed there earlier this season .

Nonetheless, this was an attractive programme which opened with Mozart and concluded with Dohnányi, notwithstanding one late change to the item in-between: Schumann's Symphonic Etudes was swapped for Rachmaninov's Second Suite, due to indisposition of another of the student pianists initially billed for the concert.

Mozart's Piano Concerto in A, K.414 - here performed in the composer's own transcription for string quartet and piano - saw no great surprise in style and manner with which the five musicians approached the music. Focussing heavily on the blend and expansiveness of tone, as one might recognize in the T'ang's inimitable fashion, the four string players tellingly replicated the ensemble of a full chamber orchestra, deftly juggling the unfolding musical ideas and emphasis between each instrument in its own turn.

The pianist, Han Bei Lin, proved to be the equal of the T'ang with her own confident manner, showing immaculate phrasing and a clear sense of dynamics. A bit heavy on the pedal, perhaps, but technically, she tossed off the showy bits with relative minimum of fuss, albeit the odd slip one might reasonably expect in a live rendition. The vastly more experienced string quartet, here as well as later in the Dohnányi, was sensitive to the capabilities of its pianistic collaborator.

Although the slow movement was a tad strenuous in the approach, there was no lack of contemplative moments - and certainly, there was enough pathos saved up for the Rondo, when it finally arrived, to serve as an ebullient outlet of emotive catharsis. A stunning acquittal of classicism from Ms Han, and we should hope to hear more of her in future.

Rachmaninov's Second Suite for two pianos was clearly the vehicle for the two star students of the evening to take centerstage (quite literally) in a display of their prowess. Even allowing for the hazard of putting two concert grands in tandem in the effusive acoustic of the Victoria Concert Hall, it seemed from the get-go that the players were unaccustomed to playing in such a tenebrous sonic environment: the fortissimos threatened to, and at times did, turn agogic and swollen.

Lacking from inexperience, perhaps, the ability to adjust to this environment, the piano duo played with all the energy of someone going through virgin bush with a machete - an approach, it should be noted, which Rachmaninov's more florid writing in the opening movements can survive. However, even the tempi was brisk for the third-movement Andantino; they could have slowed down from time to time to admire the musical landscape, rather than drive right through the scenery.

But they were "New Sparks", indeed. No criticism, then, of their endeavour in presenting this eleventh-hour item: their ensemble, in the final analysis, was generally impressive. Rachmaninov needed a sense of the numinous here that was sorely missed, but otherwise, the pianists dotted all their i's and crossed all their t's, and there is no doubt in my mind that they indubitably gained more from this performance than the audience did.

Ernö Dohnányi, the least-known of the three composers, wrote two string quintets, the first when he was only eighteen and published as his Op.1. While there is an element of the Hungarian nationalist influence, this flavouring is much less pungent than that of his compatriots, Kodály and Bartók. Dohnányi definitely adds a contemporary tang to the evening's inspired choice of repertoire - a tip of the hat here to the organizers.

Yao Xiao Yun adopted a magisterial approach in which the piano stood somewhat aloof of the strings; again, as with Ms Han, there was no shortage of blazing virtuosity as the piano grabbed the spotlight for itself. Where the Mozart saw a more egalitarian discourse, here the piano was dominant - and in doing so, drove the music forward with manic energy.

But let me also add that Ms Yao played with intelligent rubato and meticulously sculpted turns of phrase. Her insights were matched perfectly by the T'ang, as muscular as ever, even in the Mendelssohnian Scherzo. (To be honest, music like this ought to be played in an appropriate chamber venue, where the nuances of small-group intercourse can be fully explored, and not otherwise smothered by the acoustics.) Dohnányi's musical argument was cleverly debated by the quintet and especially so in the Finale: sheer poetry, bringing the work home to a climatic conclusion.

The verdict ? Well, in producing these two wunderkind, NAFA are on the right track, and showcasing these talents in concert is a laudable aim. The programme isn't half bad, either, and the audience definitely got their money's (and time's) worth. A pity, surely, that the audience was not bigger.

Also, a good number of those present were young children, presumably students of the academy (or somehow related thereof). It's not a bad thing to expose them to good music at an early age, provided also that they don't get too restless and start talking out loud in the middle of the performance. Otherwise, it quite defeats the purpose of exposing these kids to this high-quality music-making, doesn't it ?

This season alone, we already have had a good number of chamber performances - the Emerson, the recent "April Fool's Day" Tang-Shostakovich-Ravel recital, and an earlier one from the Chamber Circle. Looking forward, we have yet another NAFA offering in Songs Without Words (16 May), SPITZE (27 May) and the Paradigm Wind Ensemble (10 June). Ironically, the Singapore Arts Festival 2001 does not feature a chamber group but otherwise, the Renaissance - at least in chamber music - has begun.

BENJAMIN CHEE knows what (not who) a "spitze" is.

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