Sir Mark Elder’s thoughtful and witty introductions to many of his concerts invariably strike a chord. Last Friday, he was at pains to point out the importance of selecting the right companions for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, the main work in the concert.

This might have explained the alteration to the originally advertised programme. Out went Handel and in came what is believed to be the first Bradford performance of some early Delius – his Idylle de Printemps.

During the legendary Barbirolli era from 1943-70, the Halle regularly programmed a Delius miniature. Sir Mark’s Delius is less idiosyncratic than Sir John’s, but just as exquisitely phrased.

Sibelius’s three Scenes Historiques are rarely performed and so their inclusion was especially welcome. The striking thing about the performance of both works was the colouring of woodwind and brass detail, and the glossy string tone.

These qualities shone through in Sir Mark’s spacious interpretation of Mahler’s delicately wrought Fourth Symphony. Mahler deploys a large orchestra with great restraint; some of the textures in this symphony are akin to chamber music. Sir Mark’s fastidious attention to balance revealed the voices of every section.

The strings and the horns in the achingly beautiful Adagio movement were bathed in a radiant glow and the massive orchestral tutti that brings the movement to a climax was adroitly controlled by the conductor; Sir Mark resisted the temptation to unleash a tumult at this point.

Polish soprano Aga Mikolaj made her stately progress to the front of the stage for The Heavenly Life. This song from Das Knaben Wunderhorn brings the symphony to a serene close. Mikolaj beautifully conveyed a sense of wonderment, if not quite the essential childlike quality, or the naivety of Mahler’s vision of Heaven.