Auckland Philharmonia at the Holy Trinity Cathedral

By HEATH LEES

Sunday's concert was the second of three in the monthly Midwinter Masterpieces, all of which begin with a full-length classical symphony - a risky move since players have trouble dropping straight into large-scale mode without a warm-up.

Which is what happened with Mozart's "Linz" symphony. There was a sense of purpose to the introduction, but the Allegro spiritoso took time to find its musical feet, and when the main theme came around again for the recapitulation it sounded quite different from its first appearance.

Still, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and his musicians worked hard to bring cohesion and expression into play as quickly as possible.

By the second movement there was a firm tempo underneath, and a suppleness of line that became positively ebullient in the succeeding minuet, where the resonant open strings buzzed happily, and the neat and softly contrasting trio gave the bassoon a chance to shine.

If the finale didn't generate much sparkle, at least it had plenty of drive.

Copland's Clarinet Concerto is not often performed since soloists shy away from its difficult leaps, long phrases, and constant changes of mood from pastoral to jaunty.

But Bridget Miles took immediate possession of the work, her creamy tone singing divinely over the walking tenths in the orchestra, and her later, reedy edginess drew the players in as much as the audience, making the concerto both absorbing and exciting.

Excitement is the emotional keynote of Larry Pruden's Centenary Overture, which sometimes drops its grand, film-like effects to display some superbly original writing, especially for brass and percussion - seized on delightedly by the players, who increased the excitement still further through the colour and vibrancy of the closing item, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.