As Edward Gardner's stint as principal guest conductor of the CBSO approaches its end, so does his wonderful exploration of music by Mendelssohn, Birmingham's favourite adoptive musical son, and all thankfully captured for posterity by the Chandos record label.
This week it was the turn of the miraculous Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music, Gardner and orchestra responding gratefully to its infinite delights. Warm horns, elfin flutes (how did Marie-Christine Zupancic manage to deliver the end of the scherzo without apparently breathing?), James Sibley's supportive tuba sturdily placed next to the bassoons, the aplomb of Andrew Herbert's cymbals in the Wedding March, the sheer versatility of the strings, all contributed riches to this amazing score.
As did the young ladies of the CBSO Youth Chorus in that astonishing group's 20th anniversary year, singing so clearly and articulately after Julian Wilkins' coaching, and contributing three soloists performing with such poise and confidence, and who really should have been named in the programme.
Earlier we had relished a refreshing Fair Melusine overture and marvelled at the terse Storm and Stress of the B minor String Symphony no.10, neatly phrased and accented under Gardner.
And, above all, a bustling account of the remarkable First Piano Concerto from Cedric Tiberghien, his busy pianism encompassing both stormy rumblings and sweet domesticism, the CBSO collaborating buoyantly and cushioning with such warmth (they have previous in this concerto, having won Gramophone's Recording of the Year award for their pairing of both Mendelssohn piano concertos from Stephen Hough, Lawrence Foster conducting).
Tiberghien's encore of Bach's C major Prelude, so beloved of Mendelssohn, was perfect, luminously given.
