CARL Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto was aimed at portraying the character of its dedicatee Aage Oxenvad, who could by all accounts be quite cantankerous.

When the clarinettist first saw the score he remarked how the composer had managed to find the hardest notes for him to play. It was all meant in his dry Danish humour, of course.

The concerto was given its latest outing by the talented young clarinettist Julian Bliss, who inhabited the piece completely, conveying its mercurial passages in blazing style.

Performing with Royal Northern Sinfonia under the baton of Mario Venzago, at Sage Gateshead, he dispatched the

elaborate figurations with dazzling dexterity, while getting under the skin of the rich textures and harmonies.

The snare drum, which plays a central role in the concerto – either spurring on the soloist or in contest - was brilliantly played by percussionist Graham Johns .

The concert was bookended by two very contrasting works; opening with Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen Suite. It was delivered with airy buoyancy and featured warm continuo playing from the lower strings and piquant woodwinds.

The programme was rounded off with a powerhouse performance of Brahms’ Second Symphony.

Venzago set out his stall with a steady deliberation in the opening movement, keeping firm hand on its ebb and flow. The brass was burnished, woodwinds bright and strings lush.

A demonstrative conductor, who literally gets into swing of things on the podium, Venzago transmitted his enthusiasm to the orchestra, driving the last movement to a thrilling climax. It brought out goosebumps.

Gavin Engelbrecht