ROYAL Northern Sinfonia kicked off the New Year at Sage Gateshead in style with a collection of chamber music rarities. The evening opened fittingly with Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus Overture, as arranged for octet by Brett Dean.

The players, under the leadership of violinist Kyra Humphrey’s, gave a spirited rendition of the work, which called for some multi-tasking, including the violist and horn player sharing a small drum. The ensemble whirled through the waltz and polka sequences with dexterous turns of phrase.

From the joyous, the programme turned to the more cerebral, with Paul Hindemith’s Kleine Kammermusik No 2. The complex cross rhythms of the frolicsome opening Lustig (Amusing) were delivered with breath-taking precision, while the ensuing Walzer saw flute Fiona Kelly switch to a piccolo for a deliberately sentimentalised take on the Viennese’s favourite dance. A highlight was provided by a poignant passage from oboist Michael O’Donnell, playing over a treading march from the other instruments; thought to be a reflection on the mechanised slaughter of First World War, when Hindemith saw action in the Flanders.

The sombre mood was broken by a fizzling cadenza and energetic finale.

The finely-crafted counterpoint of the opening movement of Bohuslav Martinu’s Nonet was invested with a flowing spontaneity, while the darkly atmospheric slow movement featured plaintive singing lines from cellist Daniel Hammersley and wonderfully blended violin and viola figures.

The second half of the evening was devoted to Brahms Serenade No 1 in D for Nonet. It was composer’s earliest effort at orchestral writing and he destroyed his initial nonet version, leaving it to later musicians to recapture its splendours. English composer Alan Boustead’s version of the nonet, which distils the music to its essence, was played with energy and drive. The slow movement provided an opportunity for the woodwinds to shine, with sterling playing by clarinettists Jessica Lee and Jill Allan. The whole was rounded off with a scintillating finale.

An auspicious start to the year.

Gavin Engelbrecht