It was a shame the musical voyage to sunny Italy didn't encourage sufficient punters out into Auckland's squally weather, meaning that they missed what the programme booklet promised to be a magnificent account of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
In fact, it was delightful, re-affirming the perennial pleasures of this piece with its dazzling succession of fires, storms, pastoral contentment and domestic bliss, all rendered in music.
All this was nicely caught by a smaller band of players together with soloist Angelo Xiang Yu, last here when he carried off third prize in the 2011 Michael Hill International Violin Competition.
Yu's lively interaction with conductor Mitchell and the musicians around him was as appealing to the eye as the ear and only occasionally did fluttering ornamentation clutter Vivaldi's lean original.
After interval, the big guns came out. Mitchell took the orchestra for a thrilling ride through Berlioz's Roman Carnival, its bold, idiosyncratic harmonies and scoring emphasising why this composer remains a key figure in 19th century music.
The evening ended by Mitchell presenting Respighi's Pines of Rome as an unashamed musical spectacular. All we needed to do was relax and be dazzled, without worrying too much about what lay behind it.
The ultimate reward was one of the grandest sunrises ever, splendidly assisted by a contingent from the Wellington Brass Band.
What: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Where: Auckland Town Hall
Reviewer: William Dart
