FEATURING three works by the very best of our country's composers, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Walton, in the hands of that wizard from Wales, conductor Owain Arwel Hughes, the Halle showed the masterpieces off to perfection.

Opening with Vaughan Williams's atmospheric Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, a wonderfully uplifting piece with a double orchestra, one on the stage and another higher in the hall, the notes seemed to hang in the air, spoiled only by the audience's need to clap immediately the last note had been played.

Elgar's Enigma Variations was a delight with its expressive theme, tinged with a touch of melancholy. The audience broke into spontaneous applause at the finale of the Nimrod Variation, which Hughes started so quietly it was barely audible, but which grew expansively until it rang throughout the hall with tremendous emotional intensity. The cello solo in Variation BN was magical.

In Walton's monumental Belshazzar's Feast, the orchestra was joined by the Halle choir of 130 singers, who sang magnificently. Baritone Matthew Best was on top form.

This dark biblical tale is filled with hatred, vengeance, despair and triumph. Walton brings out the splendour and majesty of ancient Babylon. A concert milestone.

Voices Raised to the Heavens, Halle Orchestra and Choir, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

BRENDA KEAN