Sometimes there’s a special chemistry between a conductor and a soloist, and in the case of Simone Young and pianist Cédric Tiberghien, that chemical connection spans almost two decades.

So when they meet on stage, as in this concert series performed over three days, you sense something memorable is taking place.

Cédric Tiberghien. Photo supplied.

The evening opened dramatically with the rangy Frenchman performing Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in D for the Left Hand, but as a surprise bonus, Tiberghien and Young returned to the stage afterwards with an extra piano stool. The two then sat down for a four hands piano version of Apotheose: Le jardin feerique from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.

The collaboration between the two musicians started back in 2007 when Young brought the BBC New Generation Artist to Sydney to perform in Olivier Messiaen’s Turalingalila Symphony.

Years later, Tiberghien remains effusive in his praise of the SSO’s Chief Conductor. “She gives to the orchestra, she gives to the soloist, she has almost a globe of energy around her, and everyone is just tucked inside. You can’t resist.”

There was plenty of energy in the audience, too, with a large contingent...