I’ve been trying to come up with a way to express the grandeur of the San Diego Symphony’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

Let me first say that I thought the orchestra sounded better than they ever have during the run of Aida at San Diego Opera. Daniele Callegari was a demanding conductor but that could be exactly what the orchestra needed.

On Saturday night they surpassed themselves with Jahja Ling conducting.

I have been willing to call the brass section out from time to time for being less than stellar in the past. I pray that those days are behind us.

When they laid into the opening fanfare of the Fourth it was as if their instruments were constructed of Valyrian Steel. You know, the magical, razor sharp substance forged by the Dragon Lords of Old Valyria.

You don’t know?

It’s a Game of Thrones thing.

Suffice it to say that the brass sounded magical and razor sharp.

There was a section in the first movement when things got dicey but maestro Ling held it together and we came out unscathed.

Concertmaster Jeff Thayer was absent and that initially caused me concern. Mr. Thayer did not lead the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 last season due to soloist duties earlier in that concert and I think the performance suffered for it.

Even without their starting quarterback, the strings drove the ball down the field and scored again and again.

The woodwinds were often responsible for introducing the folk tunes which Tchaikovsky develops throughout the score and they were remarkable. I’m always impressed with the woodwinds.

I had a Russian friend with me who went to conservatory in Moscow and I asked if the performance passed the “Russian” test.

“Oh yes, this was very Russian performance,” was the answer I got.