Mahler's epic second symphony, the 'Resurrection', is enough to challenge any orchestra with the huge demands it makes on the players, not just technically but emotionally and physically as well. Ye t, at Saturday night's concert - held in aid of the Musicians Benevolent Fund in its 90th anniversary year - the Oxford Symphony Orchestra left nobody in any doubt from the outset that they were more than equal to the task.

With conductor Robert Max a determined driving force, the players were in confident mood as they allowed that apocalyptic first movement to burst explosively into life, capturing the funereal grandeur and the overwhelming sense of tragedy and doom with searing passion.

The customary pause between the first two movements was a welcome opportunity to take a mental breather, before the piece continued in a more upbeat mood as happier times are recalled.

The elegant ländler was handled with appropriate delicacy of touch, forming a sublime contrast to the turbulence that preceded it. With the third movement came a return to feelings of despair and confusion, culminating in the climactic moment that Mahler referred to as a 'death-shriek', here executed with plenty of attack.

Mezzo-soprano Martha Jones - appropriately, a beneficiary of the Musicians Benevolent Fund - gave a sympathetic handling of the fourth movement. This was another oasis of calm before the eruption of the finale, which was gloriously exciting, from the ferocity of the opening to the terror of the offstage fanfare heralding the day of judgement and the dead arising from the graves begging for mercy.

The choir made a slightly shaky start - a couple of times they were not quite together - but they soon settled down and sang with precision and clarity.

Soprano Eleanor Dennis - another MBF beneficiary - blended well with Jones in 'Oh my heart, believe', before soloists, choir and orchestra moved purposefully towards a thrilling finale. Stunning.