Leeds Symphony Orchestra, St Chad’s, Headingley

‘DRAMATICALLY, Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Ludmilla is a mess’ - to quote Leeds Symphony Orchestra conductor, Martin Binks, in his introductory remarks.

Binks’ and the LSO gave a spirited account of the famous Overture without resorting to the breakneck speeds favoured by the likes of (say) Gergiev or Mravinsky.

Richard Strauss’ tone poem Til Eulenspiegels Lustige Steiche (Til Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks) was given a characterful reading with touches of humour.

The heavy brass conveyed a hint of irony; shrieking flutes, piccolo, and groaning bassoons surely lived up to the title of the piece.

The soft opening textures of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto brought a welcome respite from the Straussian orchestral high jinks.

In Leeds-born David Tan, we had a soloist whose dexterity and lyricism illuminated this attractive Concerto.

Tan’s beguiling tone in the Adagio culminated in a beautiful pianissimo ending to the movement.

The vigorous finale and it’s climactic virtuosic flourish underlined Tan’s mastery.

He played as an encore the Andante from JS Bach’s Violin Sonata No 2.

Sadly, Caesar Frank’s Symphony in D minor has fallen out of fashion and all but disappeared from concert programmes.

Martin Binks finds much to admire in this remarkable work and has performed it with the LSO on a several occasions.

Frank’s orchestral writing embodies both French and German musical tradition, and his big tunes are instantly memorable.

The softly dramatic tremolando strings and menacing woodwind in the huge first movement built up to an imposing cathedral of sound, topped by resonating brass fanfares.

Binks and the LSO clearly relished the Wagnerian sonorities.

This conductor’s subtle interpretive details and his driving tempos created a richly satisfying performance.

l Geoffrey Mogridge