Lang Lang and the Tchaik One are meant for each other. The inescapable bravura of the First Piano Concerto of Tchaikovsky offers the perfect opportunity for the beloved young Chinese superstar to show his finger-busting stuff.

It's a ridiculous understatement to say that Lang Lang lived up to the expectations of an overflow crowd at the Ford Amphitheatre on Friday, as the New York Philharmonic returned for another summer residence at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

Blissfully cashing in on every explosive moment of this slam-bang concerto, Lang Lang seemed hardly bothered by its fiendishly difficult passages. Those rapid-fire double octaves cannot possibly be played any faster than what his adoring fans heard Friday.

Which is not saying it's a good thing. Fact is, many of those lightning-fast scales and arpeggios became a blur that robbed them of their musicality. It was fun to watch - and a jaw-dropping experience. Whether it drew more attention to the pianist than to Tchaikovsky is open to discussion.

Yes, there are relaxing, lyrical moments here and there. And yes, Lang Lang explored their moonstruck romanticism with a liquid tone and a caressing touch. And if those moments were interrupted by out-of-the-blue explosions (as in the Second Movement), the pianist handled those transitions with ease.

As audiences here have come to expect, the New York Phil was fully up to the challenge of keeping up with Lang Lang. They played this piece just the other day in New York's Central Park with Lang Lang, who sat at a rare red Steinway. The pianist then offered the instrument in auction, with proceeds going toward victims of China's earthquake. Starting bid: $165,000.

On the podium, making his Vail debut, was the Phil's headline-making music director-designate, Alan Gilbert. His recent appointment as successor to Lorin Maazel was big news in the music world. It's been a long time since the orchestra had a music director this young.

After proving himself an attentive and sympathetic accompanist in the Tchaik One, Gilbert had the spotlight to himself in the second half, as he and the Phil delivered wonderfully shaped readings of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and Sibelius' Finlandia.

A no-nonsense presence on the podium, Gilbert nonetheless drew inspired playing from the orchestra, choosing tasteful tempos that brought out the coiled-spring intensity of the Sibelius and the wit and charm of the Beethoven.

In encore, Gilbert introduced Sibelius' Valse Triste, a staple in every concert hall except in New York, apparently. The conductor quoted longtime NYPO clarinetist Stanley Drucker, who said that he hadn't played it since 1945.

Marc Shulgold is music and dance writer. shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296.

New York Philharmonic

* Grade: A-

* When and where: Friday at the Ford Amphitheatre

* Of note: Residence at the festival through July 25

* Information: 877-812-5700