Music review: Basel Symphony Orchestra with Sol Gabetta, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No 1 may not be the most virtuosic in the repertoire, but its compelling lyricism and underlying energy was captured to dazzling effect by soloist Sol Gabetta. Digging deep into the cello strings with her bow, Gabetta’s sonorous lower notes and dancing harmonics easily cut through the orchestral texture. There was plenty of woodwind colour and a lightness to the string section with its muscular violas adding textural weight. Chief conductor Ivor Bolton got the delicate balance between soloist and orchestra just right, not just in the concerto but in their encore together, Faure’s heart-stopping Elegy.