Auckland Philharmonia at the Auckland Town Hall

The Auckland Philharmonia is a brave band, playing with valour, devotion and professionalism while its future lies with the cultural conscience of our civic leaders.

Thursday's concert was Miguel Harth-Bedoya's final appearance as music director, although it is true to say the American had a low-key presence over the past 12 months.

Mozart's overture to Il Seraglio reminded us of many fine concerts that conductor and orchestra have delivered over the past six years. Blithe and breezy, with elegant woodwind countering Turkish triangle and bass drum, this was the perfect opener.

Jessica Rivera revealed a fresh young voice in five Richard Strauss songs. She showed intelligent phrasing, especially in Wiegenlied, and a real gleam in the upper register. Lower passages had less lustre, and in Cacilie she had difficulty projecting through the orchestral forces.

The highlight was a poised Morgen, with Dimitri Atanassov adding tender violin solos. The orchestra was impressive, whether rippling in sympathy under Wiegenlied or darkening the ambience of Ruhe, meine Seele.

Harth-Bedoya assured us there would be no tragedy in Mahler's Fourth Symphony, but a few ominous clouds hung over its first movement. There was a real Mahlerian neurosis in the violins' swerving bows, while the trumpet fanfared a premonition of a Fifth Symphony to come.

The second movement was spiked with menace, while in the Poco Adagio the serene lyricism of the opening compensated for the occasional underpowered climax.

Rivera closed the symphony, although the tongue-in-cheek humour of her Wunderhorn setting didn't quite come across.

The concert ended with double basses, triple piano, dying away. The audience reflected for a few seconds and then let forth with an ovation of more than four minutes.

This orchestra may be vital to Aucklanders. It also has an important role to play in a much bigger cultural canvas.