Mahler's Fifth Symphony always creates programme problems. It is not quite long enough to be a concert in itself, but tends to overwhelm anything that goes before it. Oleg Caetani chose Haydn's Farewell Symphony, which ought to have been a good idea: a cleansing of the palate before the gargantuan sounds that were to follow. But the trouble with so much of Haydn's music is that, unless it seems entirely effortless, it can sound lumpy. Perhaps it was partly because there were too many string players, or perhaps rehearsal time was devoted mainly to the Mahler. Whatever: none of the tempos felt right, and nothing took flight.

There were some glorious moments of silky string playing in the slow movement, but the sound didn't come right until the famous last movement, when the orchestral players walk off one at a time, eventually leaving only two on the stage (an effect on this occasion aided by a very neat dimming of the lights).

At the point when about half of the strings had gone the balance became good, and the lovely wind playing was nicely audible.

It may simply have been that Caetani, in his British debut, failed to establish contact with the orchestra. He has many years' experience in major continental opera houses and orchestras, and has a considerable reputation as a Wagner conductor. But standing in front of a strange orchestra in a strange country must be one of the most terrifying experiences for even the toughest conductor. Evidently he coped by playing it safe.

So the Mahler was a performance of shapes and architectures rather than of details. The louds and the softs were rather avoided, as were the ebb and flow of the speeds. Only in the last movement did things really begin to come alight. This was in many ways very carefully turned, with beautifully judged balances and some passionate playing.

For the rest, though, enjoyment was mainly to be got from the individual players. Laurence Rogers gave a truly stunning performance of the horn solo in the third movement, backed up by a horn section on top form. All four woodwind principals produced marvellous playing of great spirit and verve.

The strings and harp were nicely modulated in the Adagietto. And the heavy brass played better and better as the symphony progressed. If the symphony failed to pack its usual punch, that may be because it needs more than individual brilliance.