THE Westmorland Orchestra concluded its 59th season with a concert of music in a lighter vein in the Westmorland Hall, Kendal.

The symphonic repertoire - the staple diet of any symphony orchestra - gave way to two colourful overtures, ballet music, two showpieces for violin and orchestra and, to conclude, Sibelius's Karelia Suite, the only well-known piece on the programme.

Perhaps what will linger most in the memory after this concert is the extraordinary playing of the violin soloist, Marat Bisengaliev, whose technical dexterity can only be described as breath-taking' in its brilliance.

Every technical trick in the repertoire of the virtuoso string player was on display: double-stopping, flying spiccato, glissandi, glissandi harmonics, rapid string crossing arpeggios and more.

But this was not just a display of violin acrobatics: Bisengaliev revealed a strong, vibrant, warm tone, subtle control of dynamics (including what must have been one of the quietest of violin pianissimos ever to have been heard in the Westmorland Hall) and a wonderful feel for the musical character of the music he was performing: the exhilarating speed adopted for the faster sections of Saraste's Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) almost left the orchestra behind.

But technical virtuosity by a visiting virtuoso must not be allowed to overshadow the sterling work of the orchestra.

There were moments of insecurity - the fugal section of Kuhlau's Overture William Shakespeare, which opened the programme, for example, or the opening of the Karelia Suite, but there many other moments when the orchestra produced a fine sound. The performance of the ballet suite Les Deux Pigeons by French composer Andr Messager was particularly successful; perhaps this idiom is one in which the orchestra feels most secure.

The work gave opportunities to individual players and sections to show what they could do. The quality of ensemble playing in this work, too, was impressive: rhythmically tight as ballet music has to be.

As ever, the orchestra was directed by Barry Sharkey with his customary skill and, at the end of another season's successful music making, it would be fitting to reflect on the achievement of both orchestra and conductor.

To accommodate a visiting soloist and separately prepare a complete orchestral programme demands a combination of dedication and musical skill, neither of which is lacking in the Westmorland.

Clive Walkley