“The poise and hushed beauty of the London Philharmonic’s playing was one of the most remarkable qualities of Constantine’s direction. He has an exceptional gift for holding players and listeners on a thread of sound, drawing out the most refined textures.”

Constantine has a low-key style — he walked out with no fanfare whatsoever. But right from the slow intro to the overture to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” he showed a loving, attentive manner. Even a newcomer would enjoy how he shapes and sculpts the phrases. You not only hear it, you see it.

“The Banks of Green Willow” by British composer George Butterworth, which followed intermission, was a joy. This is the first time the BPO has played this seven-minute piece, which hinges on two lovely English folk tunes. Constantine shaped the piece with leisurely eloquence. The woodwinds shone, projecting an otherworldly peace. The ending, a soft breath on the strings that drifted into silence, was exquisite.

I could not shake the feeling that Haydn’s “Clock” Symphony, which ends the program, did not quite belong. Masterful as it is, it is not a piece you get jazzed up about hearing, especially after that Mozart concerto. It is not finale material.

Even so, as one listener put it, it is a heck of a symphony. Constantine, conducting with that unhurried poetry, did a good job of selling it to us. The leisurely, tick-tock rhythm of the slow movement — this is a concert for famous slow movements — draws you back to an earlier era, an earlier way of thinking, feeling and listening. The minuet and last movement had strength and glory.

“Andrew Constantine showed a capacity Royal Festival Hall audience just what he was made of, ending his big demanding programme with an electrifying performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No.5.”

“Under his baton the English Symphony Orchestra became a delicately balanced and responsive instrument with which he combined to display musicianship of the highest quality. It was a privilege to hear this young conductor at a comparatively early stage of his career. Remember his name – it will be heard frequently in the future.”

“Andrew Constantine showed himself to be a perfectionist in the Incidental Music to Schubert’s Rosamunde. Each phrase, each chord, had its special quality emphasised in a glowingly polished performance which was warmly expressive. The Second symphony by Vaughan Williams was as atmospheric as it is possible to be. Tension in the allegro was well maintained and the complex finale subtly played.” (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra).

“For Montserrat Caballé, Constantine treated Verdi’s extraordinary wind-writing in the Otello music with loving care. For the pianist Nikolai Demidenko he honed Rakhmaninov’s orchestra in the Paganini Rhapsody to a bright gleam, and made an alert partner to his dazzling soloist………..Romeo and Juliet – Tchaikovsky – had been prepared with passionate care, as if to rescue it from routine pop-status, indeed he forced us to listen with unusual attention.”

“Under the baton of Andrew Constantine the Philharmonia began in lively fashion with Bernstein’s splendid Candide Overture. Copland’s Rodeo ballet music completed the first half, allowing the orchestra to display both sensitivity and virtuoso rhythmic control………a charming encore by Leroy Anderson brought beautifully refined playing, and confirmed the concert’s high standard.”