THIS was a concert of surprises.

There were two firm favourites of the concert repertoire - Mozart's 'Paris' Symphony No 31 in D Major, written while he was visiting in Paris with his mother and where a few days after its first performance his mother unfortunately died; and Beethoven's luminous 'Symphony No 4 in B Flat Major.' The exciting final movement of this never fails to thrill.

The Halle, in the hands of guest director Iona Brown, was in sparkling form.

She has a fine ear of detail and brought out the period charms of both pieces. Her slight figure was firmly at the helm and she was a pleasure to watch.

Not being a great fan of Benjamin Britten, I had never heard his 'Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.' In this he set six English poems to music, each with a different emotional presence, with the horn acting as counterpoint to the words.

Opera North favourite Paul Nilon was the tenor and Laurence Rogers, the Halle's Principle Horn, was the other soloist in this atmospheric and challenging piece. I loved every moment.

What a wonderful surprise and revelation this work is.

BRENDA KEAN