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Aleksey Igudesman (violin) and Hyung-ki Joo (piano) walked onto the stage at St. George’s Anglican Church in Montreal with an aura of severity. The pianist was dressed in tails and the violinist was dressed in a formal white dress shirt and dress pants: nothing you wouldn’t expect from the usual suspects of classical music performers.

Violin virtuoso James Ehnes gave a concert of works by Béla Bartók on May 28th at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival. Just the day before, Ehnes had performed an equally challenging program of completely different repertoire - works by Ravel (the duo, the trio, and the quartet). Both performances were of the highest quality, and showcased a performer with unparalleled command of his instrument.

Some of the instruments that the members of Tafelmusik play on may sometimes be considered the dinosaurs of the string-instrument family. Nevertheless, the members of this internationally lauded Baroque orchestra have a knack for delivering fresh and lively performances, presenting the Baroque and Classical repertoire in such an invigorating way that it feels as current as a Justin Bieber hit.

Never hold back – this would serve well as a motto for the St. Lawrence String Quartet. The quartet has been concertizing for over two decades and has seen two member changes, but the intensity and bravery with which they approach music-making has not waned in the slightest.

The string quartet is a peculiar beast in the classical music world. It takes a dash of talent, a sprinkling of luck, and a lot of social skills to make it in a professional, full-time string quartet. Many quartets are plagued with internal conflicts and member changes; however, the Lafayette Quartet seems to have defied the statistics in this category, almost miraculously.