The vision of violin soloist Rachel Kolly d’Alba; a striking redhead in a flowing bright-green dress, was more than matched by the magnificence of her playing.

Two works, under the considerate baton of Jose Serebrier, performed in succession opened with Chausson’s Poem, a piece in which d’Alba conveyed its early elegiac and tearful-sounding qualities, peerlessly expressing the subtle poetry and intensely emotional elation of love.

In Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso d’ Alba effectively explored the sensitivities and contrasts with brilliant virtuosity and as a further pointer to her fabulous technique, encored with the Lento from Ysaye’s Sonata No5, L‘Aurore.

Serebrier’s current recording sessions of Dvorak’s oeuvre certainly pays dividends when it comes to intelligent and insightful performances. Here the Symphony No8 was laying claim as the magnum opus with its unyielding sequence of melodies, both pastoral and powerful.

The Adagio, a movement in which the BSO strings’ tonal homogeneity could be fully appreciated, plus the charming lyricism of the Allegretto added to the all-round enveloping ravishment.

The finale’s variations allowed for a bit-of-a- breather between the blasts of exuberance. A finer account cannot be imagined.

Why do we not hear Dvorak’s Legends more often? The scheduled five of the ten was extended here to include No6 and they all abound with moods and melodies of exquisite charm and elegance. And the BSO’s strings had the final say, encoring with the gorgeous Bach/Stokowski Air (on the G string) from BWV1068.