IT was not so much a dip as a complete immersion into the sound world of Chopin when Canadian Louis Lortie took to the stage at The Sage Gateshead.

The pianist showed a particular affinity to the music of the Polish composer when he gave a recital of all 27 etudes.

Lortie launched into the first Etude of Op 10 in a blaze of colour. He opened the instantly-recognisable third etude with an ineffable grace, unleashing a deluge of notes in the stormy variations. The following etude was sharp and incisive, while Lortie exposed hidden depths of the ninth.

To perform all 27 in one sitting is a veritable test of endurance. Lortie’s delivery was effortless, belying the sheer physicality of the work.

At times, his fingers seemed to flutter like butterflies, barely landing on the keys, as he executed runs of supreme sensitivity.

And when called, he attacked the keyboard with unbounded vigour. Yet, there was nothing mechanical about his delivery, with every drop of colour feeling squeezed out each etude.

The second half opened with Chopin’s posthumouslypublished Trois Nouvelles Etudes, followed by the Twelve Etudes, of Op 25.

One of the many highlights was No 11. Known fittingly as Winter Wind, its chilling stream of notes sent a shiver down the spine. The swirling eddies and whirlpools of the No 12 left one breathless.

Huddled into the front rows of Hall One to add to the intimacy of the evening, the much smaller than usual audience responded with a standing ovation.

Lortie obliged with two Chopin encores. The evening has to rank among the more memorable.