The Santa Barbara Symphony‘s weekend concert at the Arlington Theatre offered a treat, the double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102 of Johannes Brahms, with two compelling soloists.

Both violinist Philippe Quint and cellist Wendy Warner have earned justifiable praise in their concert careers. The Russian-born Quint, now a U.S. citizen, was a child prodigy in St. Petersburg and plays a 1723 Stradivarius, “Ex-Keisewetter” on permanent loan from the Stradivary Society of Chicago. Warner made her debut with the National Symphony under the direction of the late cello master Mstislav Rostropovich, and later toured with him.

A third guest was on the podium, conductor Edward Cumming. Under his baton, the Symphony sounded especially glowing in the Brahms. This was the composer’s last major work for orchestra, reflecting his maturity and, in the third and final movement, his affinity for Gypsy songs.

Composed in 1887, the work was offered by Brahms to his violinist friend, Joseph Joachim, from whom he had long been estranged. The composer’s peace offering was accepted by Joachim, and shortly thereafter he and cellist Robert Hausmann introduced it in Cologne, Germany, with Brahms conducting. Unfortunately, the work was not an immediate success, according to the program notes. Now, of course, it’s a classic.

The concert began with a charming trifle, “Dolly Suite, Op. 56,” written by Gabriel Faure over the time span from 1893 to 1896. Inspiration for the work was the daughter of Emma Bardac, Faure’s lover. The child was so tiny that she was nicknamed “Dolly” and the suite’s movements contain titles such as “Kitty Valse” and “Tendresse.”

After the Faure, Brahms and intermission, the orchestra played the touching “Traumerie from Kinderscenen (Scenes from Childhood),” Op. 15, No. 7, by Robert Schumann. This is Schumann at his most romantic, unmarked by his later mental problems. He wrote to his beloved Clara Wieck that the “Scenes will amuse you.” The piece has been cherished ever since.

The last work on the program was Claude Debussy’s “La Mer,” which, to this reviewer, sounds hopelessly dated. Surely it has earned an honorable retirement, and less hackneyed compositions could be played instead.