I should have guessed that spotting Elliott Carter at Monday night’s recital by pianist Pierre Laurent Aimard at Zankel Hall portended something out of the ordinary. Carter has been a genial presence at practically every performance of his music that I’ve caught in recent years, but nothing of his was scheduled for Aimard’s concert — which just happened to coincide with the composer’s 98th birthday.

Aimard’s program, "A Study of a Study," opened with consistently smart pairings of etudes by Ligeti — a specialty of this pianist — with similar works by Debussy, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Messiaen. In each case, Aimard aptly demonstrated how Ligeti’s music echoed and extended the ideas of his forebears.

The second half of the program included further etudes by Bartók, Debussy, Scriabin and Ligeti. But those were preceded by an impromptu: the previously unannounced world premiere of a new piece by Carter, titled Caténaires. The work, a bristling moto perpetuo toccata the likes of which I’d never previously encountered in Carter’s music, commanded a resounding ovation, during which Aimard literally lept from the stage to salute the composer.

Following a whispered conversation, the pianist returned to the platform, and announced that he’d told Carter he should play the piece again. I don’t think it was my imagination that suggested the second performance of the brief work was more finely controlled than the first. (Look for a review of this quietly staggering concert from Allan Kozinn in The New York Times on Wednesday.)

Afterward, I headed off for a much-belated hang with my distinguished companion, during which we compared notes on an altogether energizing performance and engaged in a mellow discussion of classical pianists, journalistic ethics and the best albums of the year, over decent plates of calamari and cocktail shrimp.

Playlist:

Corey Dargel – Less Famous Than You (Use Your Teeth)

Album – Microbricolages (Delhotel)

My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (Reprise)

Joanna Newsom – Ys (Drag City)