Concerts can be like Ogden Nash's ketchup: first none'll come and then a lot'll. After almost three months of near drought on the classical scene, musicians are suddenly coming out of the woodwork in swarms.

Two orchestras three days apart in Central Hall may have affected audience numbers on Wednesday, but not the quality. On the contrary, with Richard Farnes conducting above ground for the first time since assuming the role of music director, he and his charges had a point to prove.

Furthermore, there was none other than Alan Hacker to lead us gently through Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. His magic wand was his trademark basset clarinet, which he pioneered some 40 years back as the solution to resurrecting the composer's original low notes.

Further refinements stroked the ear, among them new ornaments, several phrases sounding an octave lower than usual, and some magical arpeggios bubbling right up out of the depths. This was an intimate performance, never flamboyant, that compelled attention. It never galloped, but it thrilled all the same. The orchestra maintained a respectful backcloth.

Mahler's Fourth Symphony boasted a similar restraint. Farnes was never extravagant and so radiated trust. As in Schumann's overture to Manfred, which opened the evening, the woodwind ensemble was particularly happy. Solo voices were relaxed, notably Robert Ashworth's smooth horn.

The serenity generated by the slow movement was recaptured supremely at the close, after Giselle Allen's soprano had injected a touching simplicity. Well worth the wait.

Updated: 10:17 Friday, October 29, 2004