Although it seemed at one point that there was a little too much of the Polka from The Golden Age, the momentum of the writing inspired conductor Andrew Litton and his musicians to thrilling heights.
Stephen Hough is not your standard Beethoven and Brahms pianist and, on this occasion, he brought us Saint-Saens' Egyptian Concerto.
There may be a Nubian song lurking in its slow movement, but Hough also seemed to evoke Iberian mysteries here, as well as cooking up some finger-numbing boogie in the Finale.
And what could be more quintessentially French than Saint-Saens' opening Allegro moderato?
Hough's encore was perfectly chosen, Mompou's Jeunes Filles au Jardin, pert and languid by turns.
After the interval, it was back to Russia and the flamboyant Litton had the orchestra to himself for Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.
The players knew what the American conductor wanted, from the very first pages of the work, where long snaking violin lines moved inexorably from a whisper to full-throated cry of anguish.
The second movement was almost brutally sardonic, with some wicked wit in waltz-time; the mighty Largo that followed, echoing some of the darker hints in Anthony Ritchie's tribute, laid out sorrows of such magnitude and import that the music was almost invested with a cathartic power.
Classical music:
What: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Where: Auckland Town Hall
