Monte-Carlo Philharmonic: Stunning Trpčeski, amazing Kochanovsky! The problem with listening to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto is that you've heard it so many times by dazzling performers that you risk being disappointed. You need an extraordinary soloist to be truly satisfied. We had this soloist in Monaco. It was the Macedonian Simon Trpčeski.

A breathtaking pianist! You had to see his hands leap onto the keyboard, multiplying in dizzying octaves, making bursts of chords spring forth and then, the next moment, caress the keys with exquisite gentleness. You had to hear the roundness of his touch. You had to let yourself be surprised by these little suspenses that he created at the end of his phrases. At his side, the orchestra surrounded him with a sumptuous accompaniment. In the second movement of the concerto, he benefited from the precious responses of cellist Thierry Amadi , flautist Raphaëlle Truchot , and oboist Matthieu Bloch .

As an encore, he called on the help of the same Thierry Amadi and the violinist Liza Kerob to perform a piece of Tchaikovsky's trio. A moment of delight!