Review: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra****

Though the programme did not make it clear, we had the rare joy of hearing the Variations on a Rococo Theme in Tchaikovsky's original version, the soloist, Steven Isserlis, rightfully championing this beautifully balanced score.

He lavished so much affection on the performance, bringing a multitude of colours from his priceless Stradivarius, every subtle difference in dynamic shading so perfectly conveyed.

A little more care in balancing the orchestral accompaniment from the young conductor, Kirill Karabits, particularly in creating a more warm pizzicato from the lower strings, would have been welcome.

He had taken us through an uneventful reading of Mozart's Twenty-ninth Symphony, that kept the first half of the programme at a low temperature. Maybe he was keeping his powder dry until he unleashed his full orchestral forces in a blistering account of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.

You felt that it was in this brilliant style of music that he was most comfortable, the Bournemouth orchestra responding with playing that went far beyond the call of duty.