“A concert of Orchestral Dances” was only half true. The second half of this Sydney Symphony concert fully lived up to its title, consisting of an orchestral suite from Richard Strauss’s opera Der Rosenkavalier, followed by Ravel’s tone-poem La Valse.

The first half, not predominantly dance-like, showcased the skill of renowned Swedish trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger. The concert was conducted by another guest artist, Fabien Gabel (who began his own musical career in Paris as a trumpeter).

The orchestra opened with the Overture to Berlioz’s opera Beatrice and Benedict (1862): a delightful piece, and how gratifying to begin with an overture. Gabel captured the Mendelssohnian lightness, but also brought a ripe, romantic warmth to the music. The back-and-forth scale passages between strings and winds, representing Beatrice and Benedict’s feisty arguments, were done with appropriate gusto. The opera is based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing – OA ought to program it!

Håkan Hardenberger, conductor Fabien Gabel and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Photo © SSO

Next, a showpiece concerto for Hardenberger: Arial, composed for him in 1996-99 by the idiosyncratic Viennese composer HK Gruber.

The concerto is in two basic movements. The first employs a floating,...