Fauré’s Barcarolle No.1 in A minor is not among that composer’s more compelling pieces, although Yang gave it his best efforts.  Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau was a quite different matter.  Here the player’s fingers seemed to float over the notes producing a most beautiful delicacy of sound.  We were back to Liszt after that, whose Storm (‘Orage’) made the grand piano sound a rather different instrument, and gave an opportunity for the sheer virtuosity that seems to come so easily to this young master of the keyboard.

The programme note told us that Rachmaninov was not convinced of the success of his ‘Corelli’ Variations.  It must be admitted that we too, as Rachmaninov lovers, have reservations.  Perhaps it is that, although some composers thrive on working against self-imposed limitations, Rachmaninov the late Romantic seemed more restricted than such early composers as Corelli when adopting the old ‘La Folia’ melodic/structural framework.  It denies him the rich, expansive harmonic schemes that are the essence of his greater works.  Even so, Yang’s performance of it gave the piece every chance.

There remained a selection of Chopin Preludes.  For some of us, a whole evening of Chopin Preludes, Studies, and Mazurkas…would have been a delight when played with such taste, sensitivity, and sheer spellbinding poetry.

Yuanfan Yang, we were told, is not only a highly-gifted pianist and composer, but also an impressive improviser.  Maybe the challenge, invited from audience members, to give us Schumann’s ‘Arabesque’ in the style of Scott Joplin particularly suited him, while the demand for a little-known tune turned into a Bach fugue was a rather taller order: but he obviously enjoyed this kind of ‘encore-substitute’ as much as the audience did, and yes, it was a phenomenal display of musicianship that deservedly brought a standing ovation.  In all, a great send-off for a new season.