THE weather was balmy, the crowds good humoured, the setting idyllic and the music delightful at the BSO's concert in the grounds of Wilton House.

There was a Shakespearean theme to the evening, enhanced by some fascinating snippets of information from presenter Stewart Collins - did you know that Shakespeare invented the word bedroom?

With such a theme there was plenty of scope for musical gems such as Mendelssohn's incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed in an ideal setting, and the two major pieces inspired by Romeo and Juliet - Tchaikovsky's dramatic fantasy overture and Prokofiev's powerful ballet music.

The stage was in front of the house which, once darkness descended, was floodlit in a variety of colours - particularly evocative in green for a performance of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Greensleeves.

The fireworks at the end were truly spectacular - a perfect end to a perfect evening.