Amazing how something so small can be so significant. Debussy’s Prélude à l’après -midi d’un faune (1892),and in particular it’s opening bars , are often cited as the place where modern music begins. Certainly it’s sensuality and novel orchestral colours - full of shimmering strings, harp glissandi, delicate use of percussion and fluid woodwind - would seem to herald a new soundworld. Conductor Lothar Koenigs , eschewing his baton for more expressive hand gestures, shaped every phrase lovingly and brought out the requisite haziness and sense of mystery from his orchestra, in particular principal flute Jonathan Burgess.

This opened the second half of a concert that heralded the W.N.O. Spring season, entitled ‘Spellbound’. The work that followed could hardly have contrasted more. Full of gloriously cacophonous percussiveness, Bartók’s suite The Miraculous Mandarin is a true orchestral showpiece with its large forces stretched to its limits. It paints the seamier side of life and here the orchestra, on top form brought out its garish textures that owed much to Stravinsky’s contemporary ballets.

The evening had begun with a persuasive portrayal of Dvořάk’ s tone poem The Noon Day Witch ,and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4. Soloist Olga Schleps emphasised the work’s poetic qualities ,most successfully in the high drama of its middle movement. The opening movement was less effective with sharp tempo changes and overemphasis on mood changes weakening the sense of overall structure. However her encore performance of Gluck’s ‘Dance of the blessed spirits’ was simply breathtaking.