Although the TSO's playing seemed at first a little hesitant at the opening of the Overture, it very quickly got into its groove and performed this late work by the French composer with considerable elane. Premiered in 1862 as part of a comic opera that came to be known as Béatrice et Bénédict, the two comic characters in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, it contrasts lighthearted flirtation with gentle melancholy.

The Double Concerto featured guest artists Renaud Capuçon on violin and his younger brother, Gautier, on cello. These two young Frenchmen are making quite a name for themselves lately. Their performance of the Brahms work showed why. They are very much in tune with each other; they never attempt to overshadow one another. Gautier is the more physically expressive player, often echoing in his features, or the throwback of the long dark hair, the mood of the music. In this work, the cello is frequently the leader and as such requires considerable concentration by the player. The light-haired Renaud stands tall and erect, playing with cool assuredness as his violin dialogs with his brother's cello.

Brahms wrote the Double Concerto at age 54, and it turned out to be his last orchestral work. At the time the Concerto puzzled the critics as it failed to fit into any prescribed musical niche. As a consequence, this bold, yet Romantic work, took quite some time to be accepted. The Capuçons gave full justice to the work, and the TSO supported them with the required nuances of passionate restraint. One looks forward to hearing them play again in the future, when they will reach their mature stride.

Maestro Dutoit conducted the Symphony fantastique without a score, showing his intimacy with the work. The orchestra responded to his every direction with complete confidence and gave the music of Berlioz the properly nuanced attention it requires to make it come alive for the listener.