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On 13 August violinist Gil Shaham (who visits South Florida in February with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields) joined the BSO for a performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No 4 in D, K218 that was smooth as silk. Shaham's finely spun tone, aristocratic phrasing, and perfect intonation produced Mozart of the most sublime variety. The long lined melody of the second movement Andante cantabile seemed frozen in time as Shaham worked his musical magic. The lithe, sparkling playing of the orchestra under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis was a model of what concerto collaboration should be -- truly wonderful musicianship!

Davis led a splendid performance of the Symphony No 10 in E minor, Op 93 by Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) that vividly conveyed the work's poignant, autobiographical pathos. Davis captured the terrifying head long thrust of the Scherzo-Allegro, the agony of the Allegretto, and the irony and sarcasm of the finale. From the velvet cello tones of the opening (with famed cellist Jules Eskin in the first chair) to the crackling brass of the finale, the Boston Symphony was in powerhouse form.

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