MUSIC lovers were treated to a truly virtuoso performance of Stravinsky's Violin Concerto by the prodigiously-talented Stefan Jackiw on Wednesday night.

Moving lightly on his feet, the young American talent seemed almost to hang off his instrument like a marionette, playing with precision and elegance but also a sharp-as-a-razor bite that captured the music's edge.

No less impressive was his seamless switch, for a brief encore, from the flashy brilliance of the concerto to the intensity and perfection of the Bach solo violin sonatas. If he wants to come back to Poole one day and play the full set he will be sure of an audience with this reviewer.

The concert was the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven – and Stravinsky, with his classical influences, made a fitting filling for a double symphony roll.

The programme comprised the first and third (Eroica) symphonies, and made for a typically exciting tribute.

Despite the fact that conductor Kirill Karabits has spoken elsewhere in the Echo this week about how he was lured to the BSO by the prospect of completing a full Beethoven symphonic cycle with the orchestra, they don't seem to touch the maestro's works with any particular frequency.

But the ensemble is nearly the perfect size and shape, and has the sound in the strings, to deliver an especially rousing rendition of Beethoven's bounding rhythms and harmonic warmth.

The orchestra will be performing the symphonies again at the Barbican in London on Saturday as part of the concert hall's Beethoven weekend.

If you don't mind doing a little travelling, the BSO is performing the sixth (Pastoral) symphony and Piano Concerto No.4 (with Alfredo Ovalles), and opening with Mozart's thrilling overture to Don Giovanni, at three venues across the south next week – of which the nearest is Portsmouth Guildhall.