The Hallé, under Mark Elder's direction, have given many outstanding performances of classical repertoire played on modern instruments but with the crisp articulation and tempi of a period ensemble. For Haydn's Symphony No 49, the rigorously pruned Hallé strings stood throughout, giving the impression of a spontaneous, fresh performance.

Elder's sharply characterised approach to articulation and tone in the Allegro in particular emphasised its debt to the Baroque, with a striking juxtaposition of glassy smoothness and rough energy. Where the tone is darker in the outer movements, the Hallé responded with a supple poise that was ideal for its controlled intensity.

It was curious to hear Elder applying similar thinking to Brahms's Requiem: this performance must have been one of the fastest on record. Perhaps the Requiem has acquired a late-Romantic patina that we can afford to strip away without losing sight of its assertive exultation or its deep serenity. If so, Elder did not quite manage it. His brisk speeds marred the grandeur of some of Brahms's most memorable climaxes and the choir were only just able to articulate the third movement's final section at such a cracking pace. But elsewhere Elder's crispness offered a welcome break from the ponderous solemnity that often weighs down the baritone's "Lord, let me know mine end".

One of the greatest strengths of this performance was the quality of the soloists, Christopher Maltman and Gabriele Fontana. Fontana's magnificent operatic soprano and beautifully arched phrasing took the fifth movement into a more expressivedimension than is often heard. The Hallé choir, clearly loving every moment, responded in kind.