Russian-Armenian pianist Eva Gevorgyan has only just turned 21 and is already taking her place among the new generation of concert hall stars, having garnered a swag of top awards and filling houses in Europe and the Americas.

Pitched as a “dazzling debut”,  her concert as part of Sydney Symphony’s International Pianists in Recital series certainly lives up to the fanfare with her blend of youthful fire and poetic maturity, coupled with a formidable technique and natural stage manner, making her a sure-fire hit with the packed out audience.

Eva Gevorgyan. Photo supplied

Robert Schumann’s Carnaval and its fascinating mix of emotions, colours, characters and textures – all created from musical puns on four letters from his own name – is a bravura showcase for any pianist to display their wares and with this work, which takes out the second half, Gevorgyan offers a full-blooded approach to the contrasting dynamics of Pierrot, while Valse noble and Chopin capture the Romantic lyricism both of Schumann’s sketches and the great Polish exile who was their inspiration.

Schumann’s musical bipolarity is encapsulated in the characters Eusebius (lyrical and introspective) and Florestan (passionate and impetuous) that...