Work: Scènes historiques no. 2, suite for orchestra, Op.66

Thursday night’s BBC Proms was a celebration of Sibelius, Bartók and Janáček, composers who mastered the classical music tradition and put their home countries on the map.Summoning images of the Finnish countryside, Scènes historiques, Suite No. 2 displayed a range of orchestral colours.

The Hallé orchestra’s concerts around Britain take them to a number of towns which do not normally get to hear top-quality orchestral concerts, with forthcoming performances in Kendal, Carlisle and Derby and others. The excitement and sense of occasion were therefore quite obvious as the crowds gathered for Sibelius, Mahler and Elgar in Perth Concert Hall.