The good news is that the New York Philharmonic has engaged Christoph von Dohnányi as a guest conductor. The bad news is that his stint lasts only a week.

Dohnányi is “recognised as one of the world’s pre-eminent conductors”. We would have known that, even if the puffy programme-booklet had not told us so. He is a maestro of the old school – suave, precise, dignified, authoritative and thoughtful. A virtuoso whose technique never calls attention to itself, he is equally capable of passion and refinement. At 78 (not that old for a conductor), he remains a reassuring presence. Still, he is not a miracle worker.