By Garry Fraser

ONLY ONE of the three works performed at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the Younger Hall, St Andrews, on Wednesday night, could be considered to be in the standard orchestral repertoire.

Schumann’s Piano Concerto is an evergreen favourite, but the other two, by Schubert and Brahms, were delightfully fresh and in the hands of the SCO, utterly compelling.

The Schumann concerto can never be described as a vehicle for extravagant virtuosity, but it still needs a player of panache and precision.

In Artur Pizarro, these qualities come in abundance, and were particularly evident in the first movement cadenza and the final allegro, which he commanded spectacularly.

The Younger Hall piano was somewhat lacking in brightness but this was off-set by the brilliance of the performer. Olari Elts’ style of conducting might look over-elaborate, but it did lead to a fusion of orchestra and soloist that made this fine work even more appealing.

Prior to that, the concert had opened with a charming overture by Schubert. Labelled In The Italian Style, the connection is slightly tenuous, although a smattering of Rossini-like operatic exchanges could be detected. Whatever its content, it is a delightful piece and was performed with the SCO’s usual excellence.

The evening ended with the Serenade No.1 by Brahms. I had never heard this before but I found it to be as attractive as any of the composer’s larger symphonic works, largely due to Wednesday’s performance by the SCO.

The first two movements were bursting in melody and glorious harmony, and if you add to that a glorious adagio, two charming minuets, a skittish scherzo and a final rondo that fairly bounced along, you have a combination that enthralled and a performance that thrilled.