Sir Alexander Gibson's days with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra are remembered with fondness as a golden age, a benchmark against which to compare anything that has happened since. At the memorial concert that bears his name there was a definite sense of optimism - a hope that with the arrival of music director Stéphane Denève, a second such era was about to commence. RSNO chief executive Simon Woods said as much in his introduction, though the proof was in the playing: the orchestra tackled Strauss's youthful tone poem Don Juan with renewed vigour.

Strauss was more concerned with the triumphs of his hero than with his eventual demise, and Denève captured the thrusting ardour of the music. Less convincing were the quiet sections, where the music seemed rather static and not entirely focused. However, the denouement engendered great excitement, Denève driving the orchestra headlong towards the silence that ushers in the funereal coda.

With the brilliance of Don Juan still ringing in the ears, the brooding opening of Elgar's Cello Concerto seemed rather out of place. If soloist Ralph Kirshbaum had asserted himself quickly, the stylistic awkwardness would soon have been overcome, but a performance more perfunctory than impassioned proved an unrewarding experience.

The choice of Elgar may have been a conscious reference to the Gibson era, but it was with the final work on the programme that Denève put his mark on it. Albert Roussel's ballet score Bacchus et Ariane can have had few performances in Scotland, but its heady mix of shimmering exoticism and dramatic pacing proved a winning combination, as did the strong individuality of the music. As on previous occasions, Denève showed himself to be a master of orchestral effect, and the performance from a responsive RSNO fizzed nicely throughout.