THERE is an unsettling quality to the music produced by flautist Calum Stewart and fiddle player Lauren MacColl.
In the intimate confines of Cromarty's Old Brewery, their tight, swirling melodies combined so intricately that we could have been listening to a single instrument, at once warm and breathy in the low notes and shimmering in the highs.
This peculiar symmetry was underpinned by pianist Andy May, who never exceeded his remit as accompaniment but made his mark all the same with some pervasive keyboard work that we didn't so much hear as feel.
Despite the evident talent at this trio's disposal, Saturday night's performance travelled a predictable route of ballads and reels, some standards mixed with self-penned numbers, interspersed with lethargic banter from Calum and Lauren who both admitted to being tired after the week-long Fèis Rois nan Deugairean and Blazin' in Beauly festivals.
Lauren spun a yarn to introduce her own track God is an Accordion, inspired by the proclamation of a friend whose anti-fiddle arguments had led her to proffer such an outlandish statement.
Calum's reedy rendition of his own Fading Footsteps, composed for his father and asking (albeit instrumentally) where memories eventually go, was followed by a version of Roslin Castle with Calum's flute taking on the hollow, haunting texture of panpipes.
It wasn't until James Scott Skinner's showpiece tune Tullochgorum, a traditional Strathspey played with layered variations, that Calum finally had an opportunity to open the throttle.
From the start with lively tapping of the flute's finger holes, producing a pulsing rhythm, to the racing crescendo with Calum spitting the notes more than playing them, this was an exhilarating performance of talent, tempo and energy.
Nobody could have failed to appreciate Calum's passion and he was undoubtedly the star of the show.
During the intro to the closing medley, audience members may have noticed Lauren and Andy exchange awestruck glances as Calum produced the remarkable sound of his flute echoing.
Yet, despite all of this, there was something missing. Even the most spirited toe-tapping numbers provoked virtually no audience reaction, and Lauren's encouraging people to liven up did little to change this.