One of the strong points of this year's City of London festival is its chamber music programming, and the Brodsky Quartet's programme of Britten's Third and Shostakovich's 12th Quartets pointed up some intriguing parallels between the composers. Written when the two men were acutely aware of their own mortality, the works have passages approaching violence that are nonetheless outweighed by a lingering sense of optimism, and the crazed waltz in the fourth movement of the Britten showed that Shostakovich didn't have the monopoly on twisted dances.

The Brodskys played up the vivid colours - the violins and viola player standing, as ever, like soloists. None can match the brilliance of Andrew Haveron, a relatively new addition as lead violinist, but with the inner parts strong and propulsive in support, this is still very much a team effort. The Wren church of St Margaret Patten was a cosy and acoustically warm venue, though the world outside couldn't be entirely shut out and the delicate, throwaway ending of the Britten's second movement was almost obliterated by a passing number 25.

Up the road in the more august Drapers' Hall, the Borodin Quartet continued its Beethoven cycle with one each of the early, middle and late works. Founded in 1945 and still, improbably, fielding one of the original line-up, the Borodins must be contenders for the world's longest-established quartet - the Brodskys were formed only 32 years ago. But while the latter have built their reputation on communication, the Borodins are different, and though they brought a certain authority to their Beethoven - it's clear they know intimately how these pieces fit together - they rarely managed to make it sound fresh. The leader's face betrayed a tinge of emotion as his tune climbed up the lowest string in the Cavatina, which forms the heart of Op 130. Elsewhere, the work seemed too often on autopilot.

· The City of London festival continues until July 13. Box office: 0845 120 7502.