IF ever there was a work to test the mettle of a conductor, it has to be Mahler’s mighty Second Symphony The Resurrection – all the more daunting for a young maestro.

Andris Nelsons, the newlyappointed music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, passed with flying colours when he led a blistering rendition at The Sage Gateshead.

He moulded each phrase with instinctive flair. Indeed, Nelsons was consumed by the massive score, his conducting style more of a carefully choreographed dance, reflecting every twist and turn in the music.

At times he leapt into the air, arms outstretched and then snapped back, bringing turbulent passages to crashing climaxes. The moments of silence were exquisitely timed.

Most studio recordings break the hour-and-a-half long work at the end of the first movement, giving the listener the opportunity to absorb it before playing on. But after the briefest of pauses Nelsons took the remainder of the symphony straight to the end, with its movements melting seamlessly into each other.

The slow movement had a noble grace, while mezzosoprano Mihoko Fujimura entered with a hauntingly beautiful O Roschen Roth. She was equally matched in her brilliance by soprano Sarah Fox, whose powerfully projected solo paved the way for the chorus.

With audible intakes of breath, Nelsons cranked up the tension in the apocalyptic final movement, unleashing waves of energy.

Unforgettable.