The stately Senate House opened its doors to the Jupiter Sinfonia, conducted by Harry Ogg and led by Margaret Faultless, and its programme of works by the two masters of the Classical era: Mozart and Haydn. Unusual to be used as a concert venue, especially with memories of the Occupation still lingering in our memories, it was an interesting choice – and apart from the prestige of the hall rubbing off on the event, it arguably did not add anything to the performance. That is, except the occasional shadows spreading across the ceiling every time someone walked in front of the light on the balcony, which was fairly disconcerting if you happened to be engrossed in the music.

They began with the overture to Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’. The balance between the drama of the work and brilliant sound was convincingly captured by the chamber orchestra, though unfortunately the well-lit hall did not particularly complement the atmosphere created by the music.

The transition to the Haydn welcomed the four soloists to perform his Sinfonia Concertante in B Flat – Oscar Perks on the violin, Robbie Stanley-Smith on the cello, Emily Ross on the oboe and Nina Ashton on the bassoon. Even before the performance began, the thing to notice of the (male) soloists was the uncoordinated dress – the cellist’s rather casual striped black shirt did not match the violinist’s white shirt and black jacket. This disparity was occasionally reflected in the performance – the cellist’s rugged style of playing at times stood out against the very clean sound produced by the other three. The balance also fluctuated slightly – with, unusually, the oboist decisively softer than the others. Nevertheless, these issues were not obstructive, as the sound produced by the four performers, against the solid accompaniment of the orchestra, was fantastic, and the cheers which they received at the end were very well deserved.

Although some people were seen to leave during the interval, those that remained were surely not disappointed to have done so. The symphony was taken quite fast, so any imperfections, apart from the inexplicable issues in the horn section, did not detract from the overall effect of the performance. Even so, the addition of the mutes to the first violins in the second movement was an odd choice, as their hard tone uncomfortably stood out against the rest of the orchestra. Although not living up to Margaret’s surname, it did live up to the symphony’s nickname – Jupiter (Zeus being his Greek equivalent) representing Greatness and Power. And great and powerful it was.