The Planets by Holst seemed a timely choice, given that only two days before large sections of population looked to the skies in the hope of witnessing an eclipse of the sun.

Holst’s work strikes many as clever but rather cold. Yet the musicians extracted as much warmth as they could and proved with impressive style that this is one piece of music that sounds a lot more engaging live than on recording.

Holst contrived a series of soundscapes, some more captivating than others, and the orchestra sounded magnificently powerful at times, with the brass and timpani very much to the fore.

The consistently superb performance of the suite proved the highlight of the afternoon by some distance.

Walton’s Cello Concerto sounds much less engaging than the great ones, though soloist Raphael Wallfisch displayed great virtuosity. He was especially quick into his stride in the busy second movement, chased by excellent pizzicato violins and pursued by punchy brass.

The orchestra has a link to Fantaisie Espagnole, conductor Barry Wordsworth having recorded the piece with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in 1994.

Performed live, Wordsworth ensured the orchestra extracted every splash of colour from this unusual piece by Lord Berners.