Now in his fifth year as director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt can be ranked among the world's most distinguished symphonic conductors. As this concert proved, his mastery of large-scale architecture and pacing make him a superb Brahms interpreter. Add to that the polished, glossy Leipzig sound, and the result is close to perfection. In a performance so well rehearsed that Blomstedt hardly needed to do more than beat time, his spare but expressive gestures had the aura of quiet assurance that comes with complete confidence in his musicians.

The rapport between Blomstedt and the young violinist Julia Fischer in Dvorak's Violin Concerto was striking. While both are clearly strong musical personalities, neither are flamboyant performers. There were subtleties here that are rarely heard: fluid, beautifully crafted dialogue between the soloist and woodwind in the transition to the slow movement. Fischer has the intelligence and depth to probe deep below the musical surface without feeling the need for displays of virtuosity, and the integrity to play with, rather than over, the orchestra. Though the slow movement was outstanding, there was room for a little less polish and more buoyancy in the outer movements; the boisterous finale could have sparkled more, even at the cost of that unfailing precision.

Blomstedt's approach to Brahms's Variations on the St Anthony Chorale and the Second Symphony was equally measured. He was especially careful with Brahms's delicate scoring: the graceful Siciliana of the Variations had a crystalline purity, and the cellos' opening theme in the symphony's slow movement was honed to perfection. If Brahms's rougher, more bohemian side was kept under rigorous supervision, the rewards for good behaviour made it all worthwhile.