Paradoxical though it may sound, this concert, marking to the day the 50th anniversary of Sibelius's death, will probably always be remembered for a well-nigh matchless performance of Rachmaninov's Second Symphony. Conducted by Cristian Mandeal, the evening formed no part of the Hallé's main Sibelius retrospective, which takes place in November under Mark Elder. Mandeal, taking a very different tack, elected to place Finland's greatest composer alongside his younger Russian contemporary. The results were startling.

We think of Sibelius as compressed and eruptive, and of Rachmaninov as introverted and diffuse. Mandeal, however, followed Rachmaninov's own dictum that his music should be approached "with absolute calculation" and offered us a superbly controlled interpretation that replaced the usual sentimental wooziness with a daunting reappraisal of the symphony's form. Like Sibelius, Rachmaninov adopts an evolutionary structure based on the ceaseless transformation of cell-like phrases heard at the outset. Unlike him, Rachmaninov pushes for expansiveness. Mandeal's reined-in approach heightened the symphony's emotional force, taking us on a roller coaster ride through extremes of passion and elation. The playing was phenomenal in its richness and sensuality.

In Sibelius, meanwhile, Mandeal exposed the grace behind the craggy directness. Valse Triste was disarmingly seductive and almost aristocratic, as if death were moving in on the guests at some posh salon. The Violin Concerto was exquisite as well as wild. Mandeal adopted sensible speeds, so that his soloist, James Ehnes, could combine virtuosity with meaning. The emphasis on formal procedures was yet again paramount, allowing Ehnes to remind us that the first movement's vast central cadenza actually forms its development section. The finale was breathtaking in its dexterity, wit and sheer exhilaration.