When Sir Andrew Davis withdrew from this scheduled concert, conductor Clemens Schuldt bravely stood up to take over the baton; but you would never guess he was not first choice from the beginning. Schuldt only debuted with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2021, but their combined synergy is crisp and full of life: a really special thing to see.

The title event is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major (1812), in which Schuldt takes the iconic “Allegretto” at a faster pace, and the orchestra handling the swells and falls in dynamics with excellent control. This handling seems to better fit the Symphony’s manic “Allegro con brio” finale (famously described as “yaks jumping about”), with the horn section in particular going full throttle, to a rapturous audience response.

But for other audience members, the main event is the premiere of Raymond Yiu’s new Violin Concerto (2024), his biggest work to date, and seven years since his last orchestral composition. A work of blinding brilliance, the concerto carries its multiple influences explicitly: Chinese opera, Chinese folk tunes, jazz and Latin. It’s inspired by the great Chinese violinist Ma Sicong (1912–1987), in whom Yiu explores the sorrows of exile. Composed especially for Esther Yoo, she needs no introduction: Yoo is one of the greatest soloists in the world today, and handles Yiu’s virtuosic (and often schizophrenic) score like it’s her own thoughts. A complete oneness of performer and material, which is very special to see.

Kicking off the programme is Kodály’s rousing, nationalistic Dances of Galánta (1933), conducted here with such charm and panache that it’s impossible not to smile. It’s a brilliant piece of programming that falls right in between 1812 and 2024, preparing us equally for Yiu’s desolate, nostalgic vision of home and Beethoven’s life-affirming, pastoral work.

Available to listen on the BBC Radio 3 website, until 18 April 2024.