THE opening recital from this year’s Late Music Concert Series, including two world premières, amply validated Ian Pace’s reputation as an eminent interpreter and supporter of new music.

From the opening of James Dillon’s The Book Of Elements Volume 1, Pace’s authority in this repertoire was clear. Its 11 short miniatures offer a wide variety of moods, and Pace displayed his immense dynamic range and the beauty of his pianissimo.

Judith Weir’s variations, The King Of France, were at turns playful and grandly ceremonial, whetting the appetite for Late Music’s commission from her, to be performed in June.

Schoenberg’s tiny Six Little Pieces were imbued with delicacy – a quality less evident in Schumann’s Papillons, which were dispatched with precise virtuosity, but short on charm and humour.

According to the composers’ pre-concert talk, Pace had received their brand new works only days ago. Steve Crowther’s Piano Sonata No. 3 was engagingly hypnotic, a coherent yet vehement artistic response to recent news events.

Edward Caine’s often violent study, Etude: Resonance, exploiting mechanical and acoustic properties of the instrument, avoided the trap of becoming the dry academic exercise suggested by its title and premise.

Pace’s versatility was confirmed by his characterful closing performance of four Etudes by Ligeti, their intricate complexities adroitly negotiated, their occasional ferocity under tight control. His undemonstrative technique is notably economical, and after a demanding programme he still had the energy to repeat the Ligeti Etude, Fanfares, for an encore.

- Robert Gammon