Although many would have bestowed the laurel wreath upon Pierre Boulez, there were a number of critics who had appointed the Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti as the world’s most important living composer before his demise this spring. From the ethnomusicological perspective of his early work to the existential middle period that included such absurdist pieces as “100 Metronomes,” through the intense opera “Le Grand Macabre” or the revolution in timbre that is his “Lontano” for orchestra, Ligeti’s music may have been challenging, but it was always rewarding.

Undoubtedly many concert programs this fall will include a work by Ligeti as an hommage, but his “Sonata for Solo Cello” was already scheduled aboard Bargemusic, the chamber music barge in Brooklyn, before the news of his death became public. On Saturday evening, it was given an exciting performance by the young cellist Nicholas Canellakis.

The piece is in two movements, in an odd way constructed like a bel canto aria. The opening slow section is richly melodic, Ligeti getting in touch with his Jewishness (he was in fact a Nazi labor camp survivor). Mr. Canellakis produced a highly burnished tone, woody and warm, and plied it in a heartfelt manner. Other than the occasional slides on individual notes, this movement could have been written in the romantic late 19th century.

The second part is devilishly complex and was taken at quite a gallop by the cellist. Here dexterity is the order of the day and Mr. Canellakis was essentially note perfect. There was not only a high degree of intensity to his playing but also an anguish that belied his youth. An impressive rendition of an important, if rare, work.

Remember the Carpenters? Well, drummer Karen is now playing only celestial music, so they were not aboard this night, but instead there were three fine string players with the same surname. Violinist Lauren Sarah Carpenter was joined by her two brothers, violinist Sean Avram and violist David Aaron Carpenter.They gave a sweet reading of the “Terzetto in C Major” of Antonín Dvo•ák. In addition to the polished blending of this group and a palpable youthful spirit, what was most arresting about this performance was that these people were always perfectly coordinated; it was as if, although they were string players, they even breathed at the same moments.This is the sort of familial synchronicity that characterizes such exceptional chamber groups as the KLR trio, who have been playing together for over 25 years. That’s longer than any of the Carpenters have been alive, but they have the advantage of having worked together all of their days. By the way, are there any John Alden Carpenter chamber works that they could perform?

There was a sea change aboard the barge several years ago that left violinist Mark Peskanov in charge as executive director. As a result, the decision was made to move away from simply presenting high quality chamber music and to concentrate also on the discovery, nurturing, and presentation of youthful performers. Although a bit speculative at the time, the gamble has paid huge dividends for regular listeners.There are, of course, veterans who grace the stage on a regular basis,but most evenings have at least an element of the debut, either in the introduction of fresh faces and approaches, or, most successfully, the integration of the mature artist with the highly talented aspirant. For example, Isadore Cohen, longtime violinist of the Guarneri Quartet, appeared here last season with three of his students before his death.

Mr. Peskanov himself, with his infectious Slavic brio, is the driving force behind this talent scouting and often appears, as he did this evening, as partner and coach. He is so enthusiastic about his mentoring role that he advises right up to concert time. As there is no backstage at the barge, we all could see him going over some phrasing with Ms. Carpenter less than one minute before they emerged to perform the Beethoven “Harp” Quartet in a very energetic performance with brother David and cellist Mr. Canellakis.

Also on the program was a splendid quartet by Haydn, the G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3. Here Sean Carpenter replaced his sister as second violin and the three students blended superbly while Mr. Peskanov soared above the fray, rendering Haydn’s ebullient melodies in basrelief. This was glorious music making, filled with gemutlichkeit. In the spirit of coaching, let me add only one technical point: the four younger players need to be a bit more nimble in escaping from individual notes, rather than lingering occasionally and leaving behind unwanted overtones.

Over the years, Bargemusic has become the most reliably consistent venue in the city. There is simply never a poor concert here. And considering that they mount over 200 performances a year, that is really saying something.