They count a former Pope, Mother Teresa, Prince Charles and Peter Gabriel among their fans. Vladimir Putin turned to them when he wanted to show former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, real Russian musicians. We're talking about the Terem quartet.

The quartet is never short of surprises. These musicians blend virtuosity with a twist of modern comedy.

The soundtrack to Mission Impossible played on two domras, one accordion and a mighty bass balalaika is just the beginning! They'll stop at nothing to tune you in and turn you on.

About 20 years ago a bunch of students grew bored with their lives churning out classical music note for note. So, they decided to give a new edge to the age-old tradition of playing folk instruments.

Quartet member Sergey Barshchev said the band was formed in order to show the potential of their folk instruments, to “back away from the stereotypes.”

“We have now spent years showing that you can play stuf other than traditional Kalinka-Malinka songs on domras and balalaikas,” Barshchev said.

Back in the 1980s they shocked their teachers when they announced their plan to form such a band.

They are often called musical hooligans because they improvise around the works of renowned composers like Mozart, Schubert or Bach.

But they are hugely popular. They've played on the best stages in more than 60 countries.