At Easter, young musicians arrive to take part in several weeks of masterclasses with Isserlis and his colleagues. In September, the IMS's second annual event is the "Open Chamber Music" in which a handpicked collection of young professionals assembles to work intensively together. The majority of associated performances are largely local: the Maestri Concert has become a popular fixture in the spring session, and concerts take place in the area surrounding Prussia Cove during the Open Chamber Music weeks. Fundraising events are organised at various points during the year; and in January 2012 there is to be a special centenary concert in memory of Végh.

Every autumn, though, the IMS holds a tour in which its musicians can display the fruits of their intensive labours. This year the tour runs from October 2-6 and takes in Truro, Bristol, Cambridge, Coldwaltham and finally London's Wigmore Hall. Catch them if you can: it's a chance to appreciate what can be achieved when all considerations other than the music itself are jettisoned. Meanwhile, the house in Cornwall battens down the hatches to weather the winter months, ready to start all over again in spring.