In Strathpeffer on the first leg of a three-concert Highland tour, the SCO performed Beethoven, Hartmann and Mozart under the direction of guest leader Alexander Janiczek. The SCO is known for the flexibility of its playing – in this instance that meant a small-scale account of Mozart's mighty Jupiter Symphony in keeping with the intimate surroundings of Strathpeffer's Victorian spa pavilion.

The performance was an illustration of the difference a conductor can make. With no unifying vision, the SCO's performance was driven by orchestral consensus, the result being a more moderate account of the symphony than in their award-winning recent recording with Charles Mackerras. The drama of the opening movement was still evident but its contours had been softened, while in the finale, grandeur was subsumed by a rather less imposing sense of vitality. Strangely, perhaps, it was the smaller central movements that came across least effectively, their features flattened and less interesting than in a more detailed, sculptured performance.

A similar effect was evident in the excerpts from Beethoven's ballet The Creatures of Prometheus, which opened the programme. This also had a softer edge than expected, and there was a chamber music feel to the woodwind solos. In these surroundings, Hartmann's Concerto Funebre for violin and strings with Janiczek as soloist seemed the odd piece out. The sombre, atmospheric work can have a subtle effectiveness, but here it wasn't heard to its best advantage.