A young and spirited Daedalus Quartet opened the Swarthout Chamber Music Series at the Lied Center Sunday afternoon. Making its only stop between the East and West coasts, this ensemble, formed five years ago, showed why Carnegie Hall chose it for the “Rising Stars” program of the European Concert Hall Organization. Playing with intelligence and energy, the players commanded the audience’s attention throughout the afternoon’s program.

The group’s spokesman, Kyu-Young Kim, explained that it was altering the usual string-quartet template of classical-modern-romantic to a sequence of modern-classical-romantic, adding that for the opening work “we like to feel that we’ve been shot out of a cannon.” Thus the concert began with Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50, one of only two by the composer in this genre.

With Mr. Kim as first violin, the group moved nimbly from Prokofiev’s elegant dissonances to unexpectedly lush and romantic passages and then back to harsher tonalities. Its playing was clean and precise, whether echoing a melodic line in each of the instruments or pursuing together the demanding scherzo of the second movement. Cellist Raman Ramakrishnan showed here and throughout the program a delicate touch on the bow and a superb velvety tone.

The Daedalus Quartet performed Sunday afternoon at the Lied Center at Kansas University.

The quartet established its credentials by dealing with the difficult Russian composition, but the audience seemed relieved when the afternoon’s second work began, Haydn’s String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33, No. 1. In its short Scherzo second movement, entrances were a little less crisp than at any other time, perhaps a let-down from the challenges of Prokofiev.

But the Haydn quartet charmed the audience, with Min-Young Kim (Kyu-Young’s sister) taking over as first violin. The Andante third movement was played sweetly, with delicacy and feeling, and Ms. Kim produced a lovely tone in its soaring melodic lines. The ensemble played the lighthearted but very demanding Presto fourth movement with a nice sense of urgency

The quartet’s excellent program notes point out the “virtuosic writing” of the first and fourth movements of the final number, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D major, Op. 44, No. 1. And indeed the opening Molto allegro vivace movement produced a splendid torrent of liquid sound, with Ms. Kim’s spirited lyric line rising above the others.

In the two middle movements, it was evident the group had included some of Mendelssohn’s more classical treatments, just as they had earlier selected some of Haydn’s more romantic sounds. The Menuetto once again exhibited the artistry of Min-Young Kim, the feather-light touch of her bow gracefully setting forth the movement’s quieter moments. The final Presto con brio was rendered with the energy and thoughtfulness that marked the whole afternoon’s performance.

A string quartet as accomplished as this young group will become stronger and even more in demand in years to come, and Sunday’s Lied Center audience would doubtless be glad to see it return. The players are now in their first full year of touring the U.S., and like their namesake Daedalus, this quartet intends to fly.

– Dean Bevan is a professor emeritus of English at Baker University. He can be reached at bevan@ku.edu.