Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra’s (CUCO’s) penchant for themed concerts has previously brought us evenings of all-Brahms and all-Beethoven. All too much? Perhaps. But an all-French theme? Perfect.

Cambridge’s leading orchestra is in good shape this term. This concert witnessed a real sense of rapport with Principal Conductor Peter Stark, and, crucially, a real dedication to performance: the woodwind section in particular simply radiated enthusiasm. Sadly, prize-winning pianist Lydia Scadding was not to make her concerto appearance this evening, following an unfortunate hand injury. However, it is testimony to Cambridge’s musical talent that CUCO did not have to look beyond the Fens to find a replacement soloist for Franck’s little-performed ‘Symphonic Variations’: Ed Liddall bravely stepped into the breach and delivered an assured performance. The piece presents something of a stylistic enigma, but CUCO made a convincing stab at it all the same.

It takes courage to juxtapose this with Ravel’s ‘Mother Goose Suite’ (‘Ma Mère l’Oye’). These miniatures (five of them, based on fairy tales) are exceptionally unforgiving: laced with perilously exposed solo lines, any performance treads on very thin ice. Originally composed as a children’s piano duet, the risk of turning these delicate vignettes into kitsch or cliché (“it’s like Disney!” commented a friend upon reading the programme) is one which CUCO just managed to avoid. Indeed, the opening movements quivered on the verge of over-cautiousness. However, the ‘Fairy Garden’ finale allowed the orchestra to revel in Ravel’s piquant orchestration through one long crescendo, executed with beautiful finesse.

The real highlight in terms of sheer vivacity was Poulenc’s ‘Sinfonietta’. Forgiving a few dodgy string moments, the orchestra brought about Poulenc’s balance between the mechanistic and the gorgeously lyrical, and seemed far more at home in this slightly unhinged stylistic register than in Franck’s romanticism or Ravel’s fragility. CUCO can always be relied upon for an excellent standard of playing, but have perhaps risked getting stuck in a nineteenth-century Germanic rut this year. Thanks to a genuinely more inspired programme, CUCO should be congratulated for taking their playing in a new direction.