Why isn’t this man a bigger star?

Ihave seen the violinist Daniel Hope several times and, on each occasion, I have left the concert wondering why he isn’t a bigger star. He certainly looks the part; tall and commanding, with an imposing mane of red hair. Yet there is a distinct lack of ego – his playing sometimes suggesting a fine sense of communication with his fellow musicians, and at others embarking on his own voyage of discovery, his face locked in a quizzical expression.

On Tuesday night, accompanied by the Basel Chamber Orchestra, he displayed a sort of cerebral chutzpah in two works. First, with Bach’s Concerto in A Minor for Violin, he demonstrated a brisk poise, teasing out the more lyrical moments while maintaining technical assurance. The Andante, which makes up the middle section, was in danger of sounding a little sluggish, but was saved by Hope’s careful delineation of different modes of expression.

Mendelssohn’s Concerto in D Minor for violin and strings, written when he was only 13, is a playful work with a terrific sense of freedom. The challenge for the soloist is to convey drama, romance and even a little nostalgia within an incredibly short space of time, and both Hope and the orchestra achieved this with little fuss. The highlights were the fiendishly difficult technical tussle at the end of the Allegro, and the playful leap from the Andante to the Allegro Assai. Occasional intricacies were missed within the delirium of the final movement, but this was, ultimately, a lively account of a tumultuous work.

After the interval, the orchestra took centre stage with two 20th-century works. Martin’s Pavane couleur du temps, inspired by a Perrault fairy tale, was a meandering river of a piece with an enigmatic coda. There was an air of almost melancholic lyricism, but the tightly controlled performances ironed out any potential smudges.

Bartók’s Divertimento for Strings, written in 1939 for this very orchestra, emits a sort of folksiness, while never forgetting a sense of impending doom. An extraordinary depth of sound was achieved and, in the final movement, any temptation for the soloists to over-emphasise their roles was kept in check and everyone worked together to create a sweeping resolution.

Here was a fine evening of contrast, performed with clarity and rigour. Next time, I hope that Hope will get the grand stage he deserves.