VIRTUOSO Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg gave a fizzing performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 to a packed Poole Lighthouse last night.

Highly-acclaimed worldwide for his flawless and emotionally intense playing, the 30-year-old - accompanied by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - polished off the frantic and complex final moments of the third movement with seemingly effortless flair, leading inevitably to a roar of instant applause as conductor Alexander Shelley's baton fell, and a more meditative encore.

However it was during the more lyrical passages of the concerto's second movement - a series of variations on a theme - that his particular sensitivity to the emotional nuances of the music was best displayed.

He performed second in a concert named 'Arabian Nights', although, much like Prokofiev's energetic concerto, the preceding piece - Ravel's La Valse - does not have any Middle-Eastern connection the reviewer is aware of.

La Valse is a fun piece (in a typically boisterous French manner) in which Ravel conjures a picture of a dance spinning out of control. It was later made into a ballet.

However the final piece perfectly met the theme - the much-loved Sheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov - a suite of four movements inspired by the tales told over 'A Thousand and One Nights' by the eponymous princess.

The orchestra, recently voted the best-loved by readers of an international music website, clearly relished performing the luscious romantic melodies carried in the strings, the sinuous and challenging violin solos, and the others exquisitely divided between woodwind, horn and cello - bringing each instrument's unique voice to life as a character or motif.

The Lighthouse Concert Hall is superb auditorium (albeit the violins were a little swamped at times) and the music's stately-then-fairytale finale was stirring and heartwarming as it ought to be.

A really excellent performance to a pleasingly full house.