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One may have thought that the Boston Symphony would have been worn out by the next afternoon's performance (5 August 2007) when the gifted young French conductor Ludovic Morlot subbed for De Waart but that was far from the case. In a demanding program, the BSO sounded spectacular. The première of Dutch composer Robin De Raaf's Entangled Tales was a qualified success. De Raaf writes skillfully for the orchestra but his Sacre de Printemps tinged score lacked form or coherence.

Dutch violinist Janine Jansen was also a no show. But her replacement proved nothing short of spectacular. The 22-year-old American born Stefan Jackiw is a star in the making. His soaring, intense traversal of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor received a standing ovation from an audience that was clearly surprised by his dazzling technique and remarkable precision. In the Andante, Jackiw spun his tone down to a mere slender thread while tracing the most beautiful of singing lines. Unlike many violinists, he did not skip over notes in the finale. Jackiw sailed through the Allegro molto vivace with admirable musicality, absolute accuracy and rapid fire bravado. Already represented by major management, this terrific violinist is headed for a major career.

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