The Symphony Hall programme began with Zhian, a ten-minute piece by Iranian Canadian composer Iman Habibi. Dedicated to the Iranian protest movement after the death of Mahsa Amini, the title means ‘life’ in Kurdish and ‘formidable’ in Persian. These qualities were expressed in a regular rhythm and walls of sound that evoked cries and gunfire but also resilience and hope.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No 5, which premiered in 1945 during World War Two also reflected hope and uncertainty as well as a war-ravaged Soviet Union. The opening in Moscow was delayed by cannon fire outside the concert hall celebrating the Red Army crossing the Vistula River into Germany.

Chinese-New Zealander Tianyi Lu (pictured) managed the symphony’s complex rhythms and themes with aplomb, bringing out all the power of the piece with all the energy in her small frame. A showpiece for all sections of the orchestra, the performance conveyed both the suffering of the Russian people and the sense of unease and restrained joy as the country approached victory.

In the gradual build up to the final flourish, Lu never let the tension slip even during the sardonically humorous scherzo reminiscent of a cartoon caper, as well as the deeply contemplative adagio that evoked a funeral march and the looming approach of midnight in Prokofiev’s Cinderella ballet score.

The symphony’s final movement with the brass, percussion, basses and cellos returning for a final dialogue sounded magnificent. The abrupt ending would also have been just as Prokofiev ordered – given a clamping down on artistic expression in the Soviet Union and the uncertainty of what victory might bring.

Erich Korngold himself fought against a current orthodoxy of atonal music when he composed his Violin Concerto in D Major in 1945. Best known for film scores, the concerto is full of sweeping melodies.

German soloist Carolin Widmann performed the piece with a beautiful expressiveness, wearing a stunning silver gown in full Hollywood glamour.Her powerful performance conjured images of sunlit prairies, intimate romances, and the American spirit, as she joined the orchestra in a final exhilarating gallop to a distant finish line.

It was a pity there was no encore in a concert that rightfully received enthusiastic audience applause. There was also special recognition of David Powell retiring as CBSO’s sub-principal cello after 45 years.

The CBSO will perform a Benevolent Fund Concert conducted by Kazuki Yamada featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23 with Steven Osborne as soloist, and Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture at Symphony Hall on Wednesday, March 4th at 7:30pm. For tickets call 0121 780 3333 or book online at cbso.co.uk .