Pinchas Zukerman in Edinburgh

Pinchas Zukerman: one of the world’s pre-eminent violinists, now equally respected as a conductor, has dazzled listeners for decades with his effortlessly natural musical talents. Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Zukerman joins the pioneering UK ensemble as soloist and director in Beethoven’s heroic Violin Concerto – from the dramatic insights of its profound opening movement to the wit and virtuoso fiddle fireworks of its dancing, folksy finale.

There’s plenty more wit on display in the well-loved Enigma Variations – Elgar’s miraculous transformations of a mysterious, unknowable theme into sly portraits of his friends and family. From the profoundly moving Nimrod, with which we now remember those fallen in battle, to gently stuttering Dorabella and even grumpy bulldog Dan tumbling into a river, Elgar’s musical portraits are as poignant as they are comic.

Zukerman opens with English music at its most mystical. Vaughan Williams’s luminous Tallis Fantasia transports you to a world of ritual and meditation, through its visionary fusion of folksong and ancient sacred music – almost transforming its string orchestra into a choir of ecstatic voices.