William Alwyn, Alan Rawsthorne, and John Veale: three British composers whose lives spanned much of the 20th century — with Veale living in Oxford for nearly 80 years. The three produced a considerable body of work between them, but little of it is performed any more. Lately, however, the Adderbury Ensemble has been dusting down some scores, and earlier this year released a CD containing three Veale works, including his one and only string quartet.

The quartet featured again in the Adderburys’ latest Oxford Coffee Concert, in a performance that emphasised the zestful and expressive interplay Veale creates between the four instruments — played here by Simon Lewis and Christopher Windass (violins), Rose Redgrave (viola), and Jane Fenton (cello). The other Veale characteristic that came out strongly was his delight in leading you down a predictable melodic path, then turning the music in an entirely unexpected direction.

Like Veale, Rawsthorne didn’t stray far into avant-garde territory in his String Quartet No 1 (Theme and Variations), but the Adderburys revealed a work of compact, impeccably constructed craftsmanship. Opening with a theme that sounded like a piece of chilling film music (the quartet was commissioned for the 1939 Vienna Festival), Rawsthorne’s delight in exploiting the melodic possibilities of the string quartet became more and more apparent as the variations progressed — as did his use of contrasting rhythms.

With winter seeming to approach fast, Alwyn’s Three Winter Poems for String Quartet packed a decidedly chilly, atmospheric punch. The steely first setting, Winter Landscape, was reminiscent of Janacek, with its skipping suggestion that some wildlife remains active even in a heavy frost. Frozen Waters was appropriately still, while Snow Shower pictured snow flurries working their way into every corner of the landscape.

The Adderburys played with evident enthusiasm and commitment throughout — this concert was a salutary reminder that Britten and Walton aren’t the only 20th- century British composers worth an airing.