For those concertgoers who may have been introduced to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra for the first time last Friday night, the Brahms Violin Concerto was a fitting event to get the ball rolling.

Stefan Jackiw. Photo supplied

The TSO, led by conductor Andrew Gourlay, presented a program packed with a variety of compositional and performance styles. The title of the concert itself was ‘Brahms Violin Concerto’, and we saw a capable young performer lead us through this work after interval. But first, we began the evening with Dvořák’s Serenade in D Minor, Op. 44 B. 77.

The double reed instruments were already on stage, positioned amongst a small set-up of chairs for this ensemble of relatively few players. When the musicians arrived, they gave a pre-concert bow, which struck me as unusual for the TSO. Before their first notes sounded, an eerie whistle of wind fell across the concert hall (of course, the source was likely a vacuum generated by the side doors; but it certainly had the concert hall muttering and some players glancing around in amusement).

The Dvořák started with the feel of a relic from centuries ago (as, I suppose, it was);...