On Friday night during the OCMF, legendary violinist Ivry Gitlis effortlessly stole the limelight with a typically adventurous and impish interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Valse Sentimentale, ably accompanied by pianist Katya Apekisheva. At 88, you’d think Gitlis would have hung up his bow long ago, but his passion is seemingly undiminished, as is his delectable lightness of touch, his sweet, haunting tone and his air of impulsiveness that makes for a thrilling and compelling performance. Friday’s audience was reluctant to let him go, and he was obliged to give an encore — as well as an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday for Apekisheva. A truly crowd-pleasing performance by a master of his craft.

But the evening wasn’t all about Gitlis. OCMF artistic director Priya Mitchell teamed up with Apekisheva and Natalie Clein for a powerfully moving performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor — his only substantial chamber work to include the piano. The mournful nature of the piece, which Tchaikovsky wrote to mark the death of his great friend, pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, was fully explored with some expansive bowing, smoothly flowing phrasing and emotional empathy, all adding up to a performance of riveting intensity.

Schnitke’s Suite in the Old Style was a last-minute replacement for the planned opener, Anton Rubinstein’s Soirées à St Petersbourg, which would have linked neatly to Tchaikovsky’s tribute to his brother, but cellist David Cohen gave a lively account of the Schnitke, while violinist Minna Pensola was full of energy in Sibelius’s wonderful Valse Triste.