Tyson is a big hit at Perth Concert Hall Piano Sunday

The words “amazing technique, virtuosity and flair” can be attributed to many pianists, but the young American Andrew Tyson deserves these epithets more than most.

Flair was paramount, but Andrew also has the imagination to pack a shortish programme with enough to satisfy a demanding concert-goer.

Out of a programme of Couperin, Messaien, Liszt, Respighi and a Chopin, he managed to include several “hardly ever heard” works, showing that it doesn’t need a medley of hits to make a concert a success.

It’s nice to grasp the unknown

and it’s even nicer when it’s in the hands of a performer like Tyson.

Couperin’s Les Baricades Misterieuses simply flashed past, but I’m not sure a work written for harpsichord needs so much use of the sustaining pedal of modern concert grand. Messaien’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jesus was typical of the composer, abrasively percussive one minute, beautifully serene the other.

What was universal was Tyson’s technique and interpretation which was quite stunning. Liszt’s Vallee d’Obermann was equally diverse, but then that is a characteristic of the composer.

Respighi chipped in with a beautiful Notturno. Brevity can be equally entertaining as something not quite so precise. The concert ended with the only easily-recognised work in the programme, by Chopin. This was exceptional, with a standalone first movement and a scherzo that showcased Tyson’s amazing dexterity.