Over the past few years new life has been breathed into that most Baroque of instruments the harpsichord by a young generation of players, and leading the charge has been the exciting Iranian-American keyboard maestro Mahan Esfahani.

His discs – eight of them to date, live and studio, on various labels including Hyperion and more recently Deutsche Grammophon – have been picking up gongs and five-star reviews worldwide. What’s more, he has broken plenty of new ground, including being the first harpsichordist to feature in the London Proms – something the great homegrown talents George Malcolm and Trevor Pinnock never managed.

So it was with enormous anticipation that the discerning and devoted regulars of the Utzon Music Series at Sydney Opera House awaited his debut appearance. And they weren’t to be disappointed.

From the moment he sat down at the beautiful Sydney-made Carey Beebe instrument, composing himself momentarily before launching into the portentous opening bars of JS Bach’s Toccata in C minor BWV911, listeners knew they were in for a special treat.

Of course there’s the seamless fingering, miraculous light touch and faultless articulation and intonation, but those are qualities that many keyboardists possess. What sets Esfahani apart is an innate feeling for...