What do you get when you put a Moravian, a Finn and a Bohemian in the same room? Well, when it comes to music programming, hopefully you end up with a soul-stirring evening of music. On paper, at least, the offer of the Sibelius Violin Concerto surrounded by Janáček and Dvořák seems like a perfect antidote to the winter blues.

James Gaffigan. Photo © Vera Hartmann

Leading the MSO through this feast of nationalist sentiment is American conductor, James Gaffigan, currently the chief conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Gaffigan brings plenty of energy to his task, and is not averse to a little soft-shoe shuffle on the podium, reminding me of Australia’s own great balletic maestro, Henry Krips, a fond memory of my childhood.

Janáček’s overture, Žárlivost (Jealousy) is based on a Moravian folksong that the composer refers to in his opera, Jenůfa. The original song contains the chilling lyrics “I would rather cut off your head than let another love you when I am gone”. Such repulsive passion fails to find effective expression in this score, and indeed the composer wrote a totally...