Two 19th-century masterpieces, and a whiff of the 21st century were on offer at this sell-out concert. The whiff was of fresh paint — the Sheldonian’s rather severe new colour scheme has been completed. But the biggest shock comes from the lighting. Gone are the admittedly tacky chandeliers, to be replaced by mini spotlights mounted round the walls. These are far too dim — a player I spoke to in the interval diplomatically told me that he was finding it “rather difficult” to read his music. An urgent rethink is surely needed.

Perhaps the stygian gloom was one reason why Marios Papadopoulos decided to conduct both Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Brahms’s Second Symphony from memory. Soloist in the Beethoven was Nicola Benedetti (pictured) — currently riding high in the classical charts, she was quite likely the reason for the full house. Benedetti plays the “Earl Spencer” Stradivarius, from which she drew a clearly articulated range of colours, all the way from a gently singing tone to very firm, full-voiced statements. Her first movement cadenza was breathtaking. It was evident from her body language that this work completely consumes her, and she is plainly well on the way to becoming one of its great interpreters. Papadopoulos and the orchestra provided ideal accompaniment: decisive when on their own, but gliding lyrically along beneath the soloist.

Brahms’s Second Symphony “glows with the summer sun”, wrote Nick Breckenfield in a programme note. Papadopoulos certainly reflected this aspect of the work, handling the ebb and flow of the music in sparkling fashion. But equally, Papadopoulos relishes the dramatic too, so he revved up to full power in the stormy development section of the first movement. The brass playing was impressive here, as it was in the blazing finale. This performance emphasised that the Philomusica now sounds much more like a single homogeneous unit, much less like an ad hoc crew of session players.