Despite an unsurprising, somewhat bland program, West Australian Symphony Orchestra’s latest concert succeeded in keeping its audiences engaged and on the edge of their seats throughout the night. Led by guest conductor Guy Noble, WASO imbued each work – Mozart’s overture to The Magic Flute, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 – with so much energy and variety that even the most repetitive of movements became simply arresting. In Mozart’s The Magic Flute overture, a warm, hearty introduction gave way to a crisp, light allegro, delicate but not without intensity. The ensuing tutti was thus made all the more forceful, with the orchestra sounding as full and as colourful as possible with a Mozartian-sized ensemble. Yet even this force was managed sensitively, with warm brass passages enhancing rather than dominating the ensemble and wind solos effortlessly cutting through the texture. The energy of the orchestra was ramped up throughout the overture, and though this made for an exciting listening experience (particularly the Mannheim rocket-esque ending), the steady and measured Noble didn’t seem to quite match the energy of his orchestral colleagues, exhibiting a restraint bordering on unenthusiasm.