There are many rising stars among today's classical soloists. But violinist Ana Maria Valderrama should, if she chooses, go right to the top.

It was the city's good fortune that conductor Derek Williams met her while touring with our youth orchestra to Spain. On that occasion she played the Symphonie Espagnole, but the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto she performed with NSO was clearly no leap into the unknown.

Valderrama painted the work's volatile character in remarkable detail. Her tone remained pure, yet susceptible to minute dynamic variation. And her lively dialogue with the winds (Canzonetta) typified the empathy between soloist and orchestra.

Understanding between the various orchestral sections was evident too. The ensemble's playing impressed from the word go, negotiating with infinite care the nervous rhythms and accents of the overture to Berlioz's Shakespearean opera Beatrice and Benedict.

Brahms's Symphony NO.2 in D major admits a Schumann-like melancholy into Haydnesque warmth and serenity. This mixture is capped by Beethovenian resolve. The balance that was struck by Derek Williams resulted in a rich and glowing performance