Some conductors try to reveal the shadow of death that haunts Mahler’s Ninth Symphony by shining a light on every garish colour, every nervy mood-swing. Bernard Haitink’s approach is more measured, yet last night’s Proms performance with the London Symphony Orchestra was not short on grandeur or pathos.

If greater momentum might have been welcome in the opening movement, the music was never becalmed. The second movement’s clumping dance was urbane rather than the “clumsy and very rough” that Mahler wanted but the following burlesque rondo had more sulphur.

The closing Adagio, however, showed the heart of Haitink and his players. It’s debatable whether a 60-strong string section can truly be said to show depth of feeling but that was how it seemed. Quiet passages had you wondering how such tiny sounds could fill such an immense space.

Every narrative thread was clearly delineated. Solos by Gordan Nikolitch, the orchestra’s leader, achieved a perfect blend of schmaltz and world-weariness, while a single plucked harp string was the very embodiment of despair. Bluesy trumpet solos had a noir-ish quality, as if Mahler were walking rain-soaked streets, while the contra-bassoon’s bubbling rasp was both slinky and sinister. Yet this was not simply an anthology of passing details; Mahler Nine may take a meandering path but Haitink knows exactly where it’s going at every moment. The awed silence that greeted the close was a measure of shared intensity.
Repeated on BBC Radio 3, 2pm Wednesday. www.bbc.co.uk/proms