THE programme, centred on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, brought to mind the Young Musician of the Year contest, in which four soloists battle for honours.

In this challenging music, it would be invidious to rank the four, but there were enough differences in style and technique to keep the audience alert.

The orchestra played standing, pre-romantic style. This made for an attractive, open sound, though three cellos and a bass was too heavy a bottom line. The most successful performances were of Spring (Michael Jones) and Winter (Sophie Cameron), both sweet-toned and incisive rhythmically.

Donna O’Neill (Summer) and Bianca Blezard (Autumn) showed many effective touches, but played from the score. This made it difficult for them to direct the orchestra decisively, with some resultant raggedness.

Imaginative programming saw two Vivaldi concerti in each half, followed by two of Piazzolla’s tango-based compositions with seasonal titles.

Music lovers in the Dales must be grateful to Xenophon Kelsey, the director, for introducing them to the slinky world of downtown Buenos Aires, realised with panache by David Routledge, a former member of the Vacation Chamber Orchestra, who led with flair and enthusiasm.

The Piazzolla pieces were lively and exotic, often soulful (a lovely cello solo in Autumn), coquettishly classical (the ending of Winter) or cynical and threatening (much of Summer).

The encore, richly deserved and demanded by a footstamping and cheering audience, was Kelsey’s arrangement of a prelude by Carbonelli. Described as “naughty but nice” on a previous visit, it sounded merely lugubrious in this context; much better to have sent people away with a jaunty piece by Grieg or Warlock.

Andrew Bennett