THERE is no better statement of intent at the beginning of a concert than Brahms' Tragic Overture, composed at the peak of the Romantic era and crammed with exquisite suspense from start to finish.

Its pair of clipped opening chords are guaranteed to bring the most drowsy or well-fed of concert-lovers to the edge of their seat. From then on the piece is a masterclass of contrasting moods, with triumph, tragedy and quiet reflection all elegantly linked together.

The BSO, under the direction of the highly energetic and rather flash young guest conductor James Feddeck, gave an invigorating and moving performance of this favourite of your humble reviewer, and also set the scene for the rest of the concert.

Assured Russian pianist Alexei Volodin got behind the keys for a forthright performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.2, a piece with further stark contrasts of mood, often between the solo sections and orchestra.

Volodin brought a muscular quality to his playing which was refreshing and stood out best in both the softer passages and the frenetic cadenza. He was controlled throughout, perhaps most evidently when sharing the spotlight with leader and principle violin Amyn Merchant and principle cello Jesper Svedberg, both typically excellent, in the second movement's trio section.

This concert was dubbed 'Sweeping Sibelius' but fizzing may have been a more apt title.

The Finnish composer's Symphony No.5, which followed the interval, opens with an unsettling contrast in rhythm between the different sections, and elsewhere it features touches of atonality. At the time it was written, around a century ago, Europe was mired in the bloodiest war ever endured, at that point in history.

Yet for all that this mood, at a time which saw the composer's home raided by the Bolsheviks, must have left an imprint on the music, this is no lament.

The BSO seemed a little hesitant during the opening, but after the first swelling climax in the brass mid-first movement the orchestra fizzed with energy.

The soft strings of the second movement's coda were a highlight, as was every conjunction of horns and trombones. The wind section was faultless throughout.

Feddeck's elaborately punctuated pauses between the final battery of chords brought the concert to a close as punchy as its start.