Pity poor old Max Bruch. Early in his career, he writes a violin concerto so gorgeous that all his later music is forgotten. Almost. Thanks to the determination of its conductor Alasdair Jamieson, York Symphony Orchestra rescued the last of his three symphonies from oblivion on Saturday.

The work was the climax of a programme that included Brahms’s Academic Festival overture and Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. It was that pleasing mixture of the familiar and the unknown which has become the mark of Jamieson’s tenure of this band.

The Brahms made a rollicking warm-up if lacking a last touch of polish. The brass particularly enjoyed themselves. Alexandra Dariescu was the determined and often fluent soloist in the Rachmaninov.

There was some pushing and pulling between conductor and soloist in the opening movement, and piano and wind soloists took a while to see eye to eye in the Adagio. The finale’s big tune was a little diffident at first, but eventually Dariescu’s infectious romanticism won over the whole orchestra.

Bruch’s Third is an odd synthesis of the unusual and the everyday. Its slow intro promises more than the rest of the first movement delivers, and the Adagio wanders vaguely round a useful tune. But the quirky scherzo, opening with a bassoon solo, and its contrasting trio, are thoroughly engaging. The boisterous finale has a confident charm. The YSO’s conviction made it well worth an outing.