Take Anders Hillborg’s second piano concerto, “The MAX Concerto,” which had its local premiere with the New York Philharmonic on Thursday. Programmed somewhat arbitrarily between works by Sibelius and Rachmaninoff, it was more entertaining than either of them, and just as well crafted. Likable without being eager to please, thrilling without shameless dazzle, it is, like Ax, enjoyable simply because it’s excellent. And, crucially, Hillborg’s concerto works regardless of how familiar a listener is with his music, or any classical music for that matter. Or you could just sit back and sense, intuitively, the genial majesty and pleasure coursing through it all.

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Persons: Anders Hillborg’s, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Emanuel Ax, Ax, Manny Ax, Beethoven’s, ”, Bach Organizations: New York Philharmonic Locations: San Francisco