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ANTON von Webern's orchestration of the six-part Ricercare from J S Bach's revered Musical Offering opened the evening. Under the baton of the young American conductor Steven Smith, the orchestra appeared sluggish to adjust to Webern's superb pointillistic arrangement, which renders a baroque counterpoint through kaleidoscopic tone colours.

The taxing requirement from all departments was evident throughout and the flow of the opening piece seemed marred by the arrangement's difficulties. The final crescendo sounded strained and the brass was particularly coarse, losing the serene beauty of Bach.

The focus of the concert, though, was Hungary-born violinist Gyorgy Pauk, who champions the music of compatriots such as Bela Bartok. The 1982 Gramophone award winner tackled the technically demanding Brahms Violin Concerto with tender loving care.

His genuine affection and passion for the piece was evident not only in his bow, but also in his facial and body expressions throughout the piece. His reading was one of lyricism which sang through his 1714 Massart Stradivarius.

The violin entry in the first movement did not start off smoothly and it seemed to take Pauk a while to tune in to the orchestra. But that became insignificant when what followed was such glowing romanticism and warmth.

The high point of the concerto was Pauk's flawless display of both lyricism and bravura in the first movement.

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