The dry acoustic of the University of York's Central Hall was surprisingly good for the visiting BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and, in Elgar's overture Cockaigne: in London Town, its convivial performance possessed a balanced and lucid blend. Yan Pascal Tortelier, returning to the helm of the orchestra of which he was principal conductor until recently, ensured that Elgar's music moved along at pace while lacking nothing in polish and finesse.

The flawless technical mastery of the players was also fully evident in a colourful performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1. The orchestra was vivacious, its members visibly interested in the music. Soloist Boris Brovtsyn in particular was earnest without seeming self-important as he tackled Bruch's fiendish demands with assurance and imagination.

Brovtsyn's double-stopping and glissandos in the jubilant Allegro Energico conclusion were stunning, yet such elements were only part of a convincing musical dialogue. Bruch's talent as a composer emerged more strongly than in performances that are used solely as virtuosic vehicles.

Throughout the concerto Tortelier contentedly took a back seat, but his moment of prominence was to come with Symphonie Fantastique. In the event, the performance of Berlioz's masterwork was ultimately ordinary although it rumbled and roared in all the right places. It commenced effectively by running the sentimental gamut in the passionate Reveries, yet the suitably stormy mood was not quite enthralling. In the evocation of a ball, Tortelier conveyed a waltz-like mood, but the sentiment was remorselessly serious.

The pastoral Scene in the Country would have benefited from greater differentiation between the call and echo of the shepherd's pipe effects. March to the Scaffold was appropriately grim and sombre, but was also flat-footed. As with the concluding Witches' Sabbath, there was a notable lack of charisma and humour that not even the immense climax could obscure.