The first half of this imaginative programme brought together three works with distinct Scottish connections, which, in all likelihood, have only rarely, if ever, appeared in the same concert. It worked, and proved a coherent and thoroughly enjoyable (if sedentary and very English) way to mark Burns Night.

In Mendelssohn’s 'Overture: The Hebrides', conductor Peter Foster gave the orchestra full rein to convey the surging swell of the waves around the Isles of Mull and Staffa, after the restless piano introduction. Here, as later in the work, there was both tension and anticipation, resolved appropriately, after the resonant second subject in the cellos, with the explosive entries of wind and brass. The fragmentation and development of the melody were well balanced. There followed playing redolent of Beethoven’s 'Pastoral Symphony' after the storm, at the moment when the change to a major key metaphorically brought out the sunshine. Despite occasion problems of intonation, the orchestra triumphed over the crashing waves in a tutti of swirling energy.

Foster’s genial introduction to Malcolm Arnold’s 'Four Scottish Dances' gave us a moment of calm after that excitement: just as well. The lively opening to the first dance was electrifying, leading before long to the characteristic Scottish short-long rhythm that pulsated emphatically during this movement. The generously resonant acoustic of the church meant that the timpani occasionally drowned out other sections of the orchestra, although the wind section really came into its own at the start of the second dance, with wonderfully evocative flute playing and a fine, slow later melody from the bassoon. Every orchestral section joined the party for the jolly conclusion. The ballad-like third movement was beautifully phrased throughout, with restlessly shimmering or peacefully sustained strings, as if from a compelling film score. And then came the entertaining final movement – perhaps Arnold had Ibert’s 'Divertissement' in mind at the start – in which the orchestra played with appropriately wild abandon.

The informative programme notes told us that 'Land of the Mountain and the Flood: Concert Overture Op. 3' is now the best-known work by Hamish MacCunn. The familiar Scottish melody appears early, its first iteration taken up by strings and then the whole orchestra, which burst fully into life with a portrayal of mountain scenery on an almost Wagnerian scale. Cellos and horns brought back the main theme with conviction and a sense of purpose, vivaciously developed then by all the strings. The very opening phrase became a vehicle for the coda, in which the brass led the orchestra to a stirring climax.

A performance of Brahms’ 'Symphony No. 2' must be a highlight of any orchestra’s concert season, and Foster’s assured, alert conducting seemed to bring the very best out of the St Giles Orchestra. The restrained opening of the first movement was majestic, followed after the dramatic tutti outburst by the poised playing of the cellos in the second subject. Cadences were pointed, and the rhythms drove forward with conviction throughout. The second movement had its own challenges - the accompanying chords of the long melodic line perhaps too emphatic, and complementary rustling underparts sometimes running away - but the luscious key changes of the third movement, especially over the pizzicato cellos, revealed the full musicianship of the orchestra. In the final movement, the mystery of the opening might have been enhanced by a more hushed pianissimo, but thereafter the music built steadily, enabling trombones and flutes and, indeed, the full orchestra, to build momentum towards a triumphal climax of telling splendour.

Although the programme note had apologised for “not serving haggis and whisky tonight”, the audience would have been pleasantly surprised. Not only were the three “Scottish items” accompanied by recommendations of a specific Scotch malt in the programme, but the interval refreshments available did indeed include one of those particularly fine examples. Burns would surely have approved. And Brahms? Who knows...