ONE of the most successful pieces of serial music, Berg’s Violin Concerto, avoids notoriety by virtue of its lyrical leanings.

Sergey Khachatryan’s tenderly reflective account drew upon Webern’s inspiration of dedicating it ‘To the Memory of an Angel’; the death of 18 year old Manon Gropius.

Surfacing from the backdrop of other-worldly sounds Khachatryan’s superb intonation and Kirill Karabits’ assured empathy also allowed the second movement’s acknowledgement of suffering with cogent understatement and contrasting the stabbing chords.

In the final phase Khachatryan released to the Bachian air the soul of Manon.

Spring cleaning, or its musical equivalent; that is how Karabits approached Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 ’Eroica’.

With his customary attention to the contrasting lyrical elements the finesse and cheer of the opening movement captivated.

And even the funereal second was illuminated with care over dynamic shading. The Scherzo included a fine quartet and employed a subtle, latent energy.

A glorious finale from every department, though the horns were tops. Here was Karabits at his finest; the man’s a marvel!

Subtlety also informed the colouring of Webern’s orchestration of Bach’s Six-part Ricercar.

With kaleidoscopic, yet intimately attuned musicianship the BSO revealed exquisite detail under Karabits’ direction, reaching a powerful final tutti.