It was a rather unusual venue for the Orava Quartet performance; around the back of the Brisbane State Library through an unmarked doorway and throngs of diligent students studying on a Saturday night.

Such is the Edge Auditorium, a large faceless room filled with seats and small risers at the front, reminiscent of the dreaded school music recitals.

Yet despite a less-than-optimal venue, the Orava Quartet (now in its ninth year) was superb, presenting a triptych of string quartets to confuse, amuse and romance the soul.

Orava Quartet. Photo © Morgan Roberts

Brendan Joyce, Artistic Director and Leader of Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, opened the evening, announcing the release of Orava’s second album on Deutsche Grammophon – Orawa, a personal tribute to the group’s late mentor Uzi Wiesel.

It then fell to Orava Quartet cellist Karol Kowalik to admit that they had forgotten to bring those freshly minted CDs to the gig and that a friend was hot-footing it back to the Gold Coast to retrieve them for sale after the show. Miraculously the friend made it and, later on, the discs were selling like Prime drinks in a schoolyard.

The...