The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s first visit to The Sage Gateshead, featuring two giant works by masters of instrumental colour, left an indelible impression on the audience. The concert opened with Richard Strauss’ cinematic Don Quixote, sub-titled Fantastic Variations on a Knightly Theme. The errant knight, who famously tilts against windmills, was projected with affection and a certain air of nobility by cellist Jesper Svedberg. Wielding the baton was the dynamic Kirill Karabits, who mustered imposing orchestral forces to lavish his musical canvas with lustrous textures. Magical touches included the bleating army of sheep, emulated convincingly by the woodwinds and a wonderful sense of dialogue between the Quixote and Sancho Panza, conveyed with warmth by the viola of Gillianne Haddow. The evening was rounded off with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, based on the legend of a young princess who avoids execution by telling the sultan a different story each night. While the work has an underlying narrative, the composer intended "to leave more minute and particular conceptions to the will and mood of each" listener. Karabits conjured up a compelling fairytale, with Sheherazade seductively played by lead violin Simon Blendis. The Festival in Baghdad was whipped into a riotous kaleidoscope, with blazing trumpets and thrilling playing from the percussion. It all led to the most exquisite of resolutions. How to better that? Karabits did so with a blistering encore in the shape of Khatachurian’s Lezginka. It left the blood racing. Here’s hoping for an early return from our Bournemouth visitors. Gavin Engelbrecht