The ­Manchester Mahler ­retrospective has now reached the Fourth ­Symphony, which was given a ­compelling if idiosyncratic ­performance by the Hallé under Markus Stenz, the ­orchestra's principal guest ­conductor, who has proved to be a ­radical willing to flout convention. His ­performance of the Second Symphony a few weeks ago was a serene account of a work usually considered turbulent. His Fourth, by contrast, was provocatively violent, as though he were ­determined to ­refute the assumption that the piece is all about innocence.

Extreme tempos, ironically ­exaggerated phrasing and a dark ­orchestral sound established a mood of unease. The scherzo was bitterly ­sarcastic, the slow movement ­pressured and urgent but not rushed. The finale, depicting ­paradise seen though the eyes of a child, had a savage edge: the ­ravenous child gleefully ­imagines ­animals being slaughtered for his ­dinner. Carolyn Sampson, in seraphic white, was the exquisite soloist.

Earlier in the evening, ­Sampson donned worldly red velvet for the ­symphony's companion piece, ­Einsamkeit, an orchestration of one of Schubert's longest songs by Detlev ­Glanert. It showed how much Mahler's inspiration was rooted in Schubert and how much Schubert anticipated ­Mahlerian world-­weariness. Glanert's orchestration, all low ­woodwind and uneasy pizzicatos, is extraordinary: towards the end there is a surge in the strings that has you ­choking back tears. Ideally, it needs a larger voice than Sampson's, but it was a remarkable experience, nevertheless.