ALASDAIR Jamieson conducted York Symphony Orchestra for the last time on Sunday evening. After ten years at the helm, he is moving to fresh pastures, leaving the orchestra in fine fettle.

His farewell programme was typically diverse: a Schumann symphony, preceded by three British works, one of them a tuba concerto. To all he brought his trademark vigour, incorporating a clear beat that left no room for doubt. His players responded in kind.

As the leading expert on Hamish MacCunn, it was no surprise that Jamieson opened with The Ship o’ the Fiend, an orchestral ballade that MacCunn premiered while still a teenager in 1888. After an opening theme from oboe and horn, its mood darkens and turns martial, with rushing strings, leading to a dramatic climax. The orchestra’s commitment here was total.

Shaun Matthew, coincidentally the YSO’s conductor-elect, was soloist in the tuba concerto by Edward Gregson, who celebrates his 70th birthday in July. He proved light-footed, belying his instrument’s galumphing image, and was especially sprightly in the finale, over chattering woodwinds.

The perfumery of Coleridge-Taylor’s Petite Suite held no fears for the orchestra, with quiet string textures especially pleasing. Still less did Schumann’s Third (‘Rhenish’) Symphony. Muscular horns dominated its first two movements. The slow movements might have been gentler, but Jamieson’s enthusiasm ignited a fiery finale, with sparkling brass.

Thanks to him, the orchestra has never been more confident, ready to take on an even broader range of repertoire. We wish him well.