Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola & Cello was completed in February 1986 with assistance from the Queen Elizabeth 11 Arts Council of New Zealand while the composer was in Dunedin as Otago University's Mozart Fellow for 1986 and 1987. The Piano Quartet was first performed in a Music Department concert at Marama Hall, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, on 25 March 1986. On this occasion it was played by Angela Campbell (piano), Miranda Adams (violin), Nigel Keay (viola), & Robert Davis (cello).

It was also recorded by Timothy Dodd (piano), Miranda Adams (violin), Allan Starrett (viola) and Judith Williams (cello) in the Dunedin studios of Radio New Zealand and broadcast nationally on its Concert FM station.

The work features an individual harmonic language and often utilizes the extreme ranges of each of the instruments, particularly the piano. The macro-structure employs a fast-slow-fast format with some interrelationship of the motivic material between each of the movements. Harmonically, the work is built on a six-note polytonal chord (a major and minor triad superimposed) and this is often given to the strings in various transpositions, making double-stopping a technique in evidence throughout the score. The first movement starts with a piano-only introduction which is followed by toccata-like material. Artificial harmonics are extensively used by the strings to open and close the second movement. The piano plays a minimal role in this movement with a short central solo interlude.