BBc Philharmonic Orchestra, Victoria Hall.

Teenage Czech pianist Lukas Vondracek launched the new Stoke-on-Trent Festival orchestral series in terrific style last night.

Clad entirely in black and crouched over the keyboard, he drew wild applause from the virtually full house - and not only for his performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto, but also for the solo encore that followed.

Smart people dub the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Opus 16, an "old warhorse" and tend to sneer at it, but it is one of those works in which a haunting romantic beauty more than makes up for structural weakness.

It is also a virtuoso piece that is infinitely rewarding for those who can play it, and Vondracek demonstrated forcibly that he could.

The bravura and famous left-hand arpeggios of the first movement were brilliantly done, as were the melting Adagio and scintillating finale.

Conducted by Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra provided a splendid accompaniment, with the cellists, in particular, enjoying themselves.

After the Grieg the encore was imaginative - Gershwin's The Man I Love.