Scott Cantrell

Saturday evening's Dallas Symphony Orchestra was a sad occasion. Sad because it was Danail Rachev's last classical concert as the DSO's assistant conductor before leaving for the same job with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

This Bulgarian native is a more sophisticated, more musically expressive conductor than plenty of big-name baton twirlers out there. We've been lucky to have him for three years. Let's hope the DSO is already booking him for guest-conducting dates.

Mr. Rachev worked his magic again in the last of the DSO's four "Casual Classics" concerts, at the Meyerson Symphony Center. He had the orchestra sounding really good, top to bottom, and again and again careful balances and eloquent turns of phrase arrested the ear.

Carl Maria von Weber's Oberon Overture is all over the map, musically speaking. It's got passages of mystery and romance, of fairy dance and song. Mr. Rachev beautifully characterized every section, with phrases lovingly formed, yet linked everything in an irresistible drive forward.

And it was good to hear Shostakovich's First Symphony. The Russian composer wasn't yet 20 when he finished the work, in 1925, yet how distinctively it already speaks in his own voice, by turns sassy and ironic and soulfully tragic.

It got a performance to keep us on the edge of our seats, even when the music was slow and pensive. There were too many lovingly done solos to name, but it was a special treat to hear one from principal cellist Christopher Adkins, back on duty after arm surgery.

DSO concertmaster Emanuel Borok was the soloist in a brisk account of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto. This was the rare performance to take the first-movement Allegro molto appassionato marking literally. Even the slow movement moved right along, a plausible if unorthodox interpretation of the Andante marking.

Mr. Borok demonstrated some impressive virtuosity, and there was a loud ovation at the end. But he sometimes rushed flashy stuff in the outer movements; even fast music needs phrasing and the occasional catch-breath. The slow movement, as much a song without words as the piano pieces Mendelssohn titled as such, wanted more give-and- take.

Mr. Rachev and the orchestra obediently went along for the ride, harried as it sometimes felt.

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