Beethoven was the sound of the day in Montreal as the Montreal International Musical Competition transitions from the semifinals into a brief respite for the impassioned competitors. The lively competition was well received by audiences, who got a chance to mingle with the performers during the pause.

The Montreal International Musical Competition gala concert is a celebratory pause after the semifinals, a breather for people in tuxedos to meet people not in tuxedos and realize they have classical music in common.

And tinnitus, at least if they attended all the virtuoso violin performances of the past week of competition. I think my ears have changed — grown flaps, maybe, or protective scabs — so I’m unusually aware that my experience of the evening was a peculiar one. I hope it’s a temporary condition.

A kind of inversion occurs after too many notes at speed that makes a competitor more memorable if they have the guts to play something slow.

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