Mahan Esfahani at the Frick Collection After his recital at the Frick Collection on Sunday afternoon the young Iranian-American harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani said it was an honor to perform on the same stage where, in 1954, the acclaimed harpsichordist Wanda Landowska gave her final public recital. Brian Harkin for The New York Times Mahan Esfahani The Iranian-American harpsichordist performed in a concert on Sunday afternoon at the Frick Collection. Breaking news about the arts, coverage of live events, critical reviews, multimedia and more. A sortable calendar of noteworthy cultural events in the New York region, selected by Times critics. Landowska did much to revive the art of harpsichord playing in the 20th century. But while the instrument has long been an integral part of early-music concerts, it is less common to hear solo recitals. Mr. Esfahani was the first harpsichordist to be named a BBC New Generation Artist and the first to be recognized by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. Musicians sometimes sound their most communicative during encores, when they are more relaxed. While he played well throughout the concert, Mr. Esfahani's beautifully wrought encores were the most indicative of his artistry. "What do you want to hear?" he asked the audience. Rameau and Couperin were suggested, so Mr. Esfahani offered an imaginative rendition of Rameau's Gavotte and Variations, played with soulful flair and a sense of spontaneity. The second encore was equally captivating: a colorful performance of William Croft's Ground in C minor. It would have been preferable if Mr. Esfahani had begun his program with works by Rameau or Couperin instead of rather pedantic pieces by William Byrd, which meandered despite Mr. Esfahani's confident, characterful playing and tasteful ornamentation. Mr. Esfahani, who performed the encores from memory but used scores earlier in the program, played Bach's English Suite No. 3 in G minor after the Byrd. Bach's music is now so often performed on the piano that it takes a moment to adjust when hearing it on the harpsichord. And I confess I missed the wider range of colors and subtleties of the modern keyboard. More rewarding was Mr. Esfahani's excellent performance of five Scarlatti sonatas, beginning with an elegant rendition of the Sonata in F minor (K. 462). Mr. Esfahani demonstrated impressive technique during the Sonata in G (K. 124) and again during the rapid-fire Sonata in D minor (K. 141). Landowska was interested in contemporary repertory as well as earlier music, and several composers of the time, including Falla and Poulenc, wrote pieces for her. Mr. Esfahani concluded his recital with a rhapsodic, inventive performance of the jazzy, Stravinskian "Recitative and Toccata Percossa" (1951) by Mel Powell, a composer and jazz pianist. Anthony Marwood and Aleksandar Madzar will perform at the Frick on April 22, 1 East 70th Street, Manhattan; frick.org, (212) 547-0715.