The waltz, however, won at encore time, with a whimsically fashioned C sharp minor dance by Chopin.
Bellincampi unfolded Schumann’s D minor Symphony as might a storyteller. A suspenseful introduction swept us into an unbridled Vivace, its rushing strings and imposing brass interspersed with fleeting lyricism.
The following Romanze displayed Schumann’s individual palette with its subtle doubling of oboe and cellos, even if one felt it was the composer’s orchestration that prevented Andrew Beer’s solo from registering as it could have.
The swing of the Scherzo was compulsive, its floating trios a classic example of a bipolar composer seeking refuge in the gentler of his various personalities.
The symphony ended with another roaring Vivace, but not until a remarkable slow movement took us there, its bold contrasts of dynamics and colour suggesting that Schumann might already have had a glimpse of Valhalla, years before Wagner made it the home of his gods.
What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Where: Auckland Town Hall
When: Thursday