This was the big one. York Guildhall Orchestra’s cycle of Mahler symphonies reached its mighty climax on Saturday with his Eighth, otherwise known as The Symphony Of A Thousand, conducted with supreme authority by Simon Wright.

With two of the north’s finest choirs augmented by the girl choristers of York Minster, there were a good 300 voices, not forgetting eight soloists and an orchestra of over 120 - not quite the thousand, but more than enough for sumptuous sonority.

Mahler divides his great choral symphony into two seemingly unrelated parts, the mediaeval hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus providing the introduction to the last part of Goethe’s Faust.

But his use of themes from the first part during the salvation of Faust reconciles the two halves, under the redeeming umbrella of Love, both eternal and human.

Love was certainly apparent in the crisp choral attacks right from the start.

These were singers on a mission. Before the break, some of the orchestral complexity was hard to decipher in this acoustic. But the tuttis were resplendent, a harbinger of what was to come.

Mahler’s more transparent textures in Part Two took on altogether greater definition. The upper woodwinds led the way. Splendid arias from baritone Mark Rowlinson and bass Julian Close, the latter especially graphic, lifted the evening on to a new plane.

The angel choruses of the Scherzo were subtly restrained, preparing the way for Paul Nilon’s ardent Doctor Marianus.

There was some stunning high coloratura from sopranos Katherine Broderick and Verity Parker, strongly underpinned by the mezzos of Catherine Denley and Madeleine Shaw. Lynne Dawson’s luminous Mater Gloriosa was all too brief.

After a glowing pianissimo from the choirs, the brass spearheaded the thunderous finale of this sensational evening.