As The Sage Gateshead prepares to celebrate its fifth birthday, the Northern Sinfonia’s musical director Thomas Zehetmair remains a firm fixture. And while the relationship is firmly cemented, there is nothing tired in it; the one constant being his freshness. Zehetmair’s trademark approach was evinced yet again when took to the podium for the first time this season. The concert began with Haydn’s Symphony No 101 The Clock, which was opened with a marked deliberation before bursting into a scampering presto. The tick tock of the clock, giving the symphony its famous nick name, was executed with exquisite time by bassoonist Stephen Reay and overlaid with string work of graceful buoyancy. Zehetmair allowed the lengthy menuet plenty of space to breath, before pushing the richly orchestrated finale to an exhilarating climax. Mahler songs are a rarity in the concert hall and always a pleasure to hear. On this occasion it was the Ruckert-Lieder, written in a particularly fecund period of Mahler’s life. Mezzo-soprano Jane Irwin strode purposefully onto the stage to give a recital of unbridled passion, with a powerful voice of extraordinary depth. As an added touch her fetching dress mirrored what must have been the costume of the day. Irwin’s delivery of the sombre Um Mitternacht resonated through the hall, with the final exhortation You keep watch at midnight soaring to the heavens. Liebst du um Schonheit, conveying a sense of utter resignation, was backed with supreme sensitivity by the sinfonia. The evening ended with Brahms’ Symphony No 3, considered by the first conductor of the work as the composer’s answer to Beethoven’s Eroica. It is indeed a mighty and adventures piece, calling for the mustering of considerable orchestral forces. This proved no obstacle to the chamber- sized sinfonia. The massive chords opening the first movement were overwhelming. Zehetemair turned out magnificently moulded phrases with snappy turns from the strings. The third movement, or poco allegretto, is one of the most recognisable passages of music and can be prone to sentimentality. But Zehetmair’s rendition was clean cut, conveying the unadorned beauty of the work’s magnificent lines. The evening was, naturally, taken to an electrifying conclusion. May Zehetmair be here for many years to come.