As the lights went down on a packed Slosberg Recital Hall Saturday night, four talented musicians took up their bows in unison. The Lydian String Quartet's second-to-last installment of their five-year "Vienna and the String Quartet" series opened spectacularly with Mozart's "Quartet in E flat Major." The four movements showed a strong range of lyrical and fast-tempo music typical of the composer, and the musicians did not fail to capture the mood of the piece at either extreme of its dynamics.

In addition to their dynamic mastery, one of the quartet's best features is the synergy of its four friendly musicians. Violinists Daniel Stepner and Judith Eissenberg, violist Mary Ruth Ray and cellist Josh Gordon, all professors in the music department, were not only literally in tune by hitting every note correctly, but played each section with incredible accuracy and the musicians' interactions with each other greatly facilitate the music.

Because of this, I wondered what would happen when a fifth member, the virtuosic Roger Tapping, joined the group at the concert's end as a second viola for Brahms' "Quintet in G Major." There was no doubt in my mind about Tapping's performance ability, but I wasn't sure he would fit into the precise harmonies of the Lydians. Pleasantly, the answer proved "yes."

Alexander Zemlinsky's "Quartet No. 3" offered a very different sound than that of the other two pieces performed. The sounds were dissonant, jarring and employed a lot of staccato notes.

The difference in sound could be attributed to the composer's era: Zemlinksy is far more modern-he wrote the piece in 1924-while Mozart and Brahms composed in the late 1700s and mid-1800s, respectively.

The Zemlinksy piece managed to feature each Lydian in small solos-unusual for the musicians' concerts, which tend to highlight the fact that none of the four performers is, traditionally, more important than the others.

This individual focus, combined with the professionalism and skill of each musician, created a very pleasing effect and a better understanding of the abilities of each player and their instrument. There were some very difficult parts executed carefully, including staccato parts that were especially difficult on a large instrument such as Gordon's cello.

At the beginning of the piece, Tapping wasn't quite in sync with the rest of the group. Perhaps this initial failure to synchronize was due to not having enough rehearsal time as a quintet, or merely the fact that the four Lydians have an intuitive sense of each other's playing that is not easily gained from the outside.

By the end, however, Tapping seemed an integral part of the Lydians, and his skill brought an additional level of beauty to the performance.

With a wide assortment of composers and some unusual musical styles, the concert caused everyone in the audience to exit the recital hall with a stronger appreciation for the diversity of Viennese pieces for string quartets.