IT began with just the strings, as a superb performance of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis showed us just how rich and expressive that section of the BSO can be on its own.

By the end of the concert, we had come a very long way. Now, the hall was filled with the voice of soprano Susan Gritton, soaring above a full orchestra and chorus in a breathtaking rendition of Elgar's For the Fallen.

In between, there was Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor. It is deservedly a public favourite, and the BSO and soloist Antonio Meneses fully captured its emotional intensity.

But this World War One-themed also contained some less frequently played material. There were pieces by two composers who lost their lives on the battlefields of France: George Butterworth's Rhapsody, A Shropshire Lad and Cecil Coles's Behind the Lines, with its lovely scherzo, which went undiscovered until the 21st century.

The BSO excelled itself under conductor David Hill.

With an inspired choice of material, this concert took us from quiet beginnings to a spectacular demonstration of everything a first class orchestra and chorus can do. A rousing encore of Elgar's Nimrod capped an unforgettable night.