Keeping Score.(classical musicians Rosey Chan and Cassie Yukawa)

Byline: LESLEY M.M. BLUME editor: Valerie Steiker

Former rivals Rosey Chan and Cassie Yukawa are classical music's most exciting new duo.

The electrifying telepathy between British pianists Rosey Chan and Cassie Yukawa has enthralled audiences since 2005, when the duo came together for their first joint public performance. But while the chemistry between the two seems innate, for many years rivalry defined their relationship.

"We first became very aware of each other when we were seven or eight years old, on the competition circuit," says Chan, now 28. "After that, we were always competing against each other for the top prize."

"Rosey was always in my consciousness, as the fantastic pianist I wanted to beat," adds Yukawa, 27. Video footage of an early awards ceremony shows the young girls standing side by side onstage. As Chan notes, "It didn't look exactly friendly." Their paths crossed throughout childhood, yet the girls never exchanged a word.

In person, the women are petite and soft-spoken, starkly contrasting with their bold onstage personae. As they sip rose at a Notting Hill cafe in London, they speak together much as they play: never interrupting, seamlessly overlapping. They recall how the uncanny parallels in their lives continued as both enrolled at the Royal College of Music and were assigned to the same instructor, Yonty Solomon. "He would say to me, 'You interpret this etude in the same way as Cassie,'" says Chan. "As a musician, you think that you have your own individual style. It's strange when someone who shares that style is your archrival."

After the women graduated, Chan finally ended the more than fifteen-year silent cold war with a text message. "I ...