The most hotly pursued young conductor of the decade last week paused long enough in his southward journey to offer San Francisco a glimpse of a stunning, if not yet fully integrated talent. Given that he is only 26, however, that talent can take its time maturing. Venezuelan-born Gustavo Dudamel, who is currently conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a post he formally assumes in 2009, bowed in this city last year at the head of his Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra. Honours were heaped on the gifted players, the national training regimen that developed them and the musician who has shaped their identity. “Inspiring” was the verdict.

But could Dudamel achieve comparable results with an orchestra that he had never previously led? The results, in a mixed programme of Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, testified positively to the conductor’s skills as a colourist and his palpable delight in orchestral textures. Back in the repertoire after a decade’s absence, the complete Firebird ballet music provided a sequence of momentary revelations conjured from the air.