MAKING his debut with the BSO in a delicious confection of French musical beaux-arts, Parisian-born conductor Fabien Gabel conveyed many alluringly perceptive and idiomatic performances.

London-born violinist Jack Liebeck was soloist in Chausson’s Poem, eliciting a soulful solo with considerable sang-froid and an episode of imaginatively tearful double stopping. His account of Massenet’s Meditation from Thais was subtly sensuous, underpinned from the harp by Eluned Pierce.

Petroc Trelawny was tasked with the sad announcement of the death (last Wednesday) of Paavo Berglund, Conductor Emeritus and the BSO’s hugely respected Principal Conductor 1972-79.

Trelawny’s usual succinct introductions and jeu d’esprit always adds more pleasure to these concerts.

Gabel’s performances took us through the lilting joie de vivre of Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture, Saint-Saens’ scary, bone-rattling, grave-side Danse Macabre with excellent solos from leader Ruth Rogers and he enriched the silken beauty of Debussy’s orchestral arrangement of Satie’s Gymnopedies No1 and the sumptuously languorous No3.

In Faure’s belle époque Pavane, Gabel drew exquisite playing from the BSO whose raison d’etre was achieved, par excellence, in Ravel’s lightly scored, four movement Le Tombeau de Couperin and topped by the Bolero with Matt King’s finely focused side-drum rhythm, attentive direction to the superb orchestral solos and build-up to the dancer’s crumpling crescendo.