THE York BMS chamber music concert season began with a thrilling piano recital by French pianist Emmanuel Despax.

Last Friday's concert opened with César Franck’s masterly Prélude, Choral et Fugue. The Prélude clearly signals a major piano work of serious intent. There was an instinctive authenticity about Despax’s playing throughout all three movements.

He seemed to capture, to project, the heroic, Beethovenian nature of the music to compelling effect. The weaving together of all the musical strands at the end of the Fugue was simply breathtaking.

As was the full-throttled interpretation of Wagner’s Ouvertüre zu Tannhäuser as arranged by Franz Liszt. What a masterly "transcription" this work is.

As you would expect, this virtuosic rollercoaster has the audience members hanging on to their coat tails. But there were moments of real inner beauty and Despax’s performance fully embraced both.

Now I have a problem with Schubert’s Piano Sonata in Bb which Emmanuel Despax’s brilliant, insightful performance was unable to cure: its length. Maybe it’s a concentration thing as, judging by the audience’s rapturous response, everyone else seemed to love it.

To be sure, the second movement, Andante Sostenuto, is simply gorgeous, sublime even, and Despax’s playing projected a lovely, hypnotic lyricism. But there was a lot of it.

I loved the sunny Scherzo with its short, beautifully played Trio. The tonal ambiguities and utterly satisfying conclusion of the Allegro was a delight. But, my word, the opening Moto moderato, blessed with the most delicious, mercurial themes is just too long. I’ll get my coat…